theory of phonemes. introductions to phonetics

Question 1

Phonetics

Answer 1

the branch of linguistics that studies speech sounds (i.e. sounds produced by the
human organs of speech and used for purposes of communication) and various
phenomena involving speech sounds. By extension, it also studies the equivalent of
speech sounds in sign languages. Its main focus is the physical properties of speech
sounds: their production, acoustic characteristics, perception and neurological /
psychological value.

Question 2

contemporary applications of phonetics

Answer 2

• language learning / language teaching: the comparative study of the articulatory features of
  sounds of different languages proves beneficial for diagnosing, correcting and preventing
  pronunciation problems resulting from the transfer of sound values (characteristics) from one
  language to another (as, for instance, from mother tongue to foreign language); it is also useful
  for understanding the relationship between sounds and letters as well as for teaching the proper
  intonational and accentual patterns of a foreign language
  ▪ speech pathology: as in the case of learning foreign languages, phonetics brings its contribution
  in the correction and treatment of speech disorders at a phonic-acoustic level
  ▪ speech recognition: transcription and analysis of recorded speech by computer systems
  ▪ speech synthesis: production and reproduction of speech sounds with the help of electronic
  or digital equipment (synthesisers, computers)
  ▪ forensic phonetics: the analysis of speech sounds and identification of voice patterns for legal
  purposes

Question 3

Semivowels

Answer 3

w when /wen/
j year /jɪə/

Question 4

branches of phonetics

Answer 4

general phonetics and special phonetics

Question 5

general methods and practices

Answer 5

• theoretical phonetics – formulates principles and rules of general applicability for the
  other branches; it is reliant, principally, on data collection and analysis
• experimental phonetics – tests the theories and hypotheses of the above through the
  experimental method, by means of using specialised equipment and in laboratory
  conditions

Question 6

area of interest

Answer 6

articulatory phonetics – studies sounds from the perspective of the speaker, i.e. the
focus is on the process of articulation and the articulatory characteristics of sounds
* acoustic phonetics – studies the impact of the channel of transmission (medium or
“contact”) upon the physical properties of speech sounds (pitch, amplitude of the sound
wave, sound frequency/wavelength, etc.)
* auditory phonetics – focuses on the reception and perception of speech sounds by a
listener
* phonology (also called phonemics/ phonematics) – focuses on the connection between
sound and meaning, or the relevance of sounds for speech acts / communicative
contexts; in other words, it studies the social function of sounds; some scholars consider
it a special field of linguistics, not a branch of phonetics