SPEECH: Speech production 2 Flashcards
what do the symbols in IPA correspond to?
specific sounds produced y the human vocal tract
what are phonemes?
the smallest units of sound in a a language that can change the meaning of a word
e.g. /b/ and /p/ are phonemes because if you switch them in a word like ‘bat’ to ‘pat’ you get a completely different word with a different meaning
why are all words tht are pronounced differently not considered phonemes?
-some variations in pronoun cation can be due to accents or regional dialects
-these differences are captured by IPA symbols and don’t change the meaning of words
e.g. ‘water’ is pronounced differently in an american accent but the variation in pronunciation doeskin create a new phoneme but just a variation within the same phoneme
what is articulation in speech?
Articulation refers to the precise formation of speech sounds using the organs of the vocal tract. When we speak, we use different configurations of the tongue, lips, and other speech organs to produce the sounds of speech.
what is articulatory phonetics?
aspects of phonetics which looks at how the sounds of speech are made with the organs of the vocal tract
what is the articulation features of vowels?
is the vocal tract open or closed?
-Vowels are speech sounds produced with an open vocal tract, allowing air to flow freely.
-vertical tongue position,
-horizontal tongue position,
-lip position; monophthongs & diphthongs
what is the articulation features of consonants?
is the vocal tract open or closed?
-Consonants are speech sounds produced with some degree of constriction or closure in the vocal tract
-voicing,
-place of articulation,
-manner of articulation
describe the AIRFLOW in vowel and consonant production
- When producing vowels, the airflow from the lungs passes through the mouth with minimal obstruction and without audible friction.
- Unlike consonants, which involve some degree of constriction or closure in the vocal tract, vowels are produced with a relatively open vocal tract, allowing air to flow freely.
how do we use the graph to describe vowel articulation?
- Vertical Tongue Position: This refers to the height of the tongue within the oral cavity. Vowels can be described as close (high tongue position), half-way close (mid-height tongue position, including close-mid and open-mid), or open (low tongue position). For example, the vowel /a/ in “father” has a lower tongue/jaw position compared to the vowel /i/ in “sit.”
- Horizontal Tongue Position: This describes the front-to-back positioning of the tongue within the oral cavity. Vowels can be produced with the tongue at the front, in the central, or toward the back of the mouth. For instance, producing the vowel /i/ in “sit” requires the tongue to be positioned at the front, while producing the vowel /u/ in “food” requires the tongue to move toward the back.
- Lip Position: This refers to the shape of the lips during vowel production. Vowels can be produced with spread lips (like smiling) or rounded lips. For example, the vowel /i/ in “sit” requires spread lips, while the vowel /u/ in “food” requires rounded lips.
what is the difference between a high, low and mid vowel?
- High vowels, like the “i” in “machine” and the “u” in “rule,” are pronounced with the tongue arched toward the roof of the mouth.
These vowels have a relatively high tongue position compared to other vowels. - Low vowels, such as the “a” in “father” or “had,” are produced with the tongue relatively flat and low in the mouth.
The mouth is open wider for low vowels compared to high vowels. - Mid vowels, like the “e” in “bed” and the “o” in “pole,” have a tongue position between high and low vowels.
The tongue is neither raised high nor lowered fully for mid vowels, resulting in a mid-level tongue position.
whats the difference between front, back and middle vowels?
- Front vowels are pronounced with the highest part of the tongue pushed forward in the mouth and somewhat arched.
Examples of front vowels include the “a” in “had,” the “e” in “bed,” and the “i” in “fit.”
The tongue is positioned towards the front of the mouth for front vowels. - Back vowels, such as the “u” in “rule” and the “o” in “pole,” are produced with the back part of the tongue raised toward the soft palate (velum).
These vowels involve the tongue being positioned towards the back of the mouth.
The highest part of the tongue is directed towards the rear of the oral cavity for back vowels. - In addition to front and back vowels, there are also middle vowels that fall between these extremes in terms of tongue positioning.
Middle vowels typically have a neutral or central tongue position, neither fully forward nor fully backward.
what is labialization, how can the shape of lips effect vowel articulation?
- The lips may be spread or rounded, in what is called labialization
what is a minimal pair?
Minimal pair requires the two consonants to differ on one of the three dimensions only.
So they have to differ only by manner, or voicing, or place.
what s a diphthongs?
-Diphthongs are gliding vowels where there’s a continuous transition from one vowel position to another during articulation.
-They are quite common in English and are characterized by their dynamic vowel quality.
-Examples of diphthongs in English include “ice” (/aɪs/) and “pace” (/peɪs/).
what is a pure vowel or monophthongs?
-Pure vowels, also known as monophthongs, are steady-state vowels where the tongue and lips maintain a fixed position throughout the articulation.
- They do not involve a glide or transition from one vowel position to another.
- Examples of pure vowels in English include the vowel sound in “bat” (/bæt/) and the vowel sound in “too” (/tuː/).
