Phonology Flashcards
Suprasegmental features
- Stress
- Intonation
- Features of connected speech
Airstream mechanisms
- Any system by which a flow of air is generated in the production of speech
- To generate sound, it is necessary to have air pressure and air flow
- What makes air flow is a difference in air pressure between the two places - therefore, air flow in either of two directions, depending on where the air pressure is higher
- In the case of speech, this means that air may flow in two directions: egressive airstream mechanism - outward airflow (can result in ejective sounds) an ingressive airstream mechanism - inward airflow (can result in implosive sounds)
- Egressive/Ingressive sounds - pulmonic (from the lungs), glottalic (from the glottis), lingual/velaric (from the tongue)
Airstream mechanisms in English
- All human languages have pulmonic egressive sounds (such as vowels)
- English speech sounds are produced with egressive pulmonic air (i.e. air is pushed out from the lungs)
- Ingressive sounds in English include: laughter, quick counting, exclamations such as ‘huh’ or ‘sss’
- ‘tsk!’ (expressing disapproval or pity)
- Imitating sounds (e.g. horse trotting)
Minimal pair
Words identical in form except for contrast in one phoneme occurring in the same position - /red/ and /bed/ are a minimal pair
Minimal set
Groups of words that can be differentiated, each one from the others, by changing one phoneme in the same position of the word - /red/, /bed/, /fed/, /led/ are a minimal set
Transcription
- Written English - represented by <>
- Phonemic Transcription - how speech sounds are treated by native speakers (no detail on actual phonetic realisation of speech) //
- Phonetic Transcription - writing down (visual representation) of speech sounds using a set of printed symbols (usually language-specific) > offers more phonetic detail []
IPA
- Main and oldest representative organisation for phoneticians
- Established in Paris in 1886
- Developed a phonetic alphabet to capture the speech sounds for all languages
- IPA established analytic framework for the study of speech segments
- Each IPA symbol represents one speech sound and denotes the articulatory features involved in its production
- IPA charts are re-issued annually
- The aim of the IPA is to promote the scientific study of phonetic and the practical applications of this discipline
- IPA fonts used for phonemic transcription
English segmentals - consonants
- 24 consonant phonemes in English
- In English, all consonants are produced with an upward and outward airflow from the lungs
Place of articulation
- We mainly produce speech when breathing out
- Consonants - produced by the shape made by different parts of the vocal apparatus: lips, teeth, tongue, alveolar ridge, hard palate, velum
- Most consonant sounds - produced by using the tongue and other parts of the mouth to constrict, in some way, the shape of the oral cavity through which air is passing
Options for place of articulation
- Bilabial - [p] (nv) [b] [m] [w] (v)
- Labiodental - [f] (nv) [v] (v)
- Dental - [th] (thin) (nv) [th] (bathe) (v)
- Alveolar - [t] [s] (nv) [d] [z] [n] [l] [r] (v)
- Post-alveolars - [sh] [ch] (nv) [s] (casual) [g] (gem) (v)
- Palatals - [y] (yet) (v)
- Velars - [k] (nv) [g] (gun) [n] (bang) (v)
- Glottals - [h] (v)
Manner of articulation
- Stops - [p] [k] [t] (nv) [b] [d] [g] (v)
- Fricatives - [f] [th] (thin) [s] [sh] [h] (nv) [v] [th] (bathe) [z] [s] (casual) (v)
- Affricates - [ch] (nv) [g] (rage) (v)
- Nasals - [m] [n] [n] (sing) (v)
- Liquids - [l] [r] (v)
- Glides - [w] [y] (v)
Unvoiced/fortis
- No vibration (air passes unobstructed through vocal cords)
- Vocal cords spread apart
- More energetic (involving more force/strength in the articulatory apparatus to produce - stronger articulation)
- Typically longer duration
- Vowels shortened before final fortis consonant
Voiced/lenis
- Vibration of vocal cords (air pushes through to pass through vocal cords)
- Vocal chords drawn together
- Less energetic (involving less force/strength in the articulatory apparatus to produce - weaker articulation)
- Typically briefer duration
- Vowels have full length before final lenis consonant
Pairs
Plosives/stops: /p/ and /b/, /t/ and /d/, /k/ and /g/
Fricatives: /f/ and /v/, /th/ (thin) and /th/ (bathe), /s/ and /z/, /sh/ and /s/ (casual)
Affricates: /th/ and /g/ (gem)
Phoneme pairs
- Of the 24 consonant phonemes, 15 are voiced and 9 are unvoiced
- There are 8 voiced phonemes that are within pairs and 7 that are not
- There are 8 unvoiced phonemes in pairs and 1 that is not