Sound Classification Flashcards
Articulation
The vocal tract movements needed for speech sound production.
Involves accuracy in placement of the articulators to include timing, direction of movement, force extended, speed of response and integration of all of these events
Articulators
Tongue Teeth Lower Jaw or Mandible Lips or Labial Muscles Hard Palate -- Alveolar Ridge Soft Palate/Velum
The Tongue
Most important and most mobile articulator
Parts of the Tongue
Body: the main mass of the tongue (does not include Root)
4 articulating parts of the tongue include:
Tip: Forward end of Tongue
Blade: Behind tip; used with tip down, more than tip alone; forms constriction in front part of palate
NOTE: The Tip is seldom separated from the Blade in normal use; The combination occurs during over 50% of consonant productions in an average English speech sample
Dorsum: back part, forms constriction in palatovelar area (where soft and hard portions of palate come together); used in velar sounds (/k, g/)
Root: forms the front wall of pharynx; shapes the vocal tract
CONSONANTS
Closed or narrowly constricted passage – Some consonants are voiced and some are unvoiced.
VOWELS
Open passage – All vowels are voiced
Categorized by 3 dimensions: Tongue Position & Height (Front, Central, Back, High, Mid, Low) Tongue Tension - Tense or Lax Lip Rounding - Rounded or Unrounded
High front Vowel(s)
/i/ and /ɪ/
Mid front Vowel(s)
/e/ and /ɛ/
Low front Vowel(s)
/æ/
Mid central Vowel(s)
/ʌ/ /ə/ /ɝ/ /ɚ/
High back Vowel(s)
/u/ /ʊ/
Mid back Vowel(s)
/о/ /ɔ/
Low back Vowel(s)
/ɑ/
Tense-Tongue Vowel(s)
Tense = longer duration & more muscle tension. Occurs in word final syllable usually at the end of a one syllable word. Examples: ‘bee’, ‘bay’, ‘too’, ‘tow’, ‘law’, ‘spa’,
/i/, /e/, /u/, /o/, /ɔ/, /ɑ/
Lax-Tongue Vowel(s)
Lax = without tension and cannot usually end a word in final position.
- /ɪ/, /ɛ/, /æ/, /ʊ/,
Rounded Lips
Rounded
/o/, /u/, /ʊ/, /ɔ/
Most front vowels are unrounded and back vowels are rounded except for /ɑ/.