Week 2 - Review of Place + Manner of Articulation

Question 1

In Phonetics: DESCRIPTION skills

Answer 1

Describe the articulatory properties of a range of phones.

Question 2

In Phonetics:

TRANSCRIPTION skills

Answer 2

Represent a phone with the appropriate symbol ± diacritics.

Question 3

In Phonetics:

AUDITORY skills

Answer 3

Developing a sense of what a range of phones ‘sound like’.

• ability to recognise or distinguish

Question 4

In Phonetics:

PRODUCTION skills

Answer 4

Developing the ability to produce a range of phones

Question 5

Challenges in Learning Phonetics:

Answer 5

• Bias from first/known languages

- influence from orthography (AND HOW WE TAUGHT 2 SPELL IN SCHOOL)

Question 6

Contriction: What are Place and Manner of Articulation?

Answer 6

PLACE: the articulators which form the constrictions (mostly using technical names for the parts of the vocal tract)

MANNER: the TYPE of constriction of airflow involved

Complex consonants involve >1 constriction.
- segmentation: sequential type vs sequence of phones eg [tʃ]

Question 7

Explain terminology of Place of articulation

Answer 7

Specify ACTIVE + PASSIVE articulator
- EG; [t] is apico-alveolar
> apico= tongue tip ACTIVE articulator
> alveolar= ridge behind teeth is PASSIVE articulator

SOME dont involve passive vs active, eg [b]

SOME CASES: Passive term used as shorthand for active+passive, eg alveolar
OTHER CASES: active articulator term is used eg laminal

Question 8

Bilabial

Answer 8

A constriction involving both lips is bilabial

[b] [p] [m] [β]

Question 9

Labio-dental

Answer 9

Any constriction involving lower lip and upper teeth is labio-dental

[f] [v]
- [ɱ] in casual pronunciation of ‘emphatic’

Question 10

Linguo-Labial

Answer 10

Tongue makes a constriction with the upper lip = linguo-labial

Only found in a few languages of Vanuaatu

[ t̼] in Tangoa [t̼ɛt̼ɛ] ‘butterlfy’

Question 11

Dental

Answer 11

The tongue makes a constriction with the upper teeth

TIP of tongue + teeth = APICO-dental

BLADE of tongue + teeth = LAMINO-dental

[θ] [ð] [t̪] [n̪]
*note dental diacritic

Question 12

Apico-Alveolar (Alveolar)

Answer 12

Constriction made by the tongue and the alveolar ridge
tip: apico-alveolar n (alveolar)
[t] [d] [n] [l] [s] [z]

Question 13

RETROFLEX

• apico-post-alveolar
• sublamino-post-alveolar

Answer 13

Constriction made by CURLING the tongue TIP BACK so that it makes a constriction ABOVE the ALVEOLAR RIDGE

[ɻ] in English ‘carry’
[ɳ] in Arrernte [məɳə] ‘food’
[ʈ] in Arrernte [ʈəʈə] ‘mud’
[ɭ] in Arrernte [maɭə] ‘female’

Question 14

Palato-Alveolar = IPA chart POST-ALVEOLAR

Answer 14

Constriction made by the BLADE of tongue and the area UP from the ALVEOLAR RIDGE

[ʃ] [ʒ] [tʃ] [dʒ]

Question 15

Palatal

Answer 15

Constriction made by RAISING the tongue BODY to the high point of the HARD PALATE

[ j ] as in [ju] ‘you’
[ç] as in (some) German ‘Ich’
[ɲ] as in Spanish ‘Señor’
[ʎ] as in Italian fiiglio ‘son’

Question 16

(dorso-) VELAR

VELAR

Answer 16

Constriction made by raising the tongue body back up to the SOFT PALATE (or VELUM)

[k] as in ‘kick’ 
[g] as in ‘big’ 
[ŋ] as in ‘sing’ 
[x] as in Scottish Eng ‘loch’ 
[ɣ] as in ‘recognition’

Question 17

Uvular

Answer 17

Constriction between the BODY of the tongue and the UVULA

[ʁ] (Rouge)
voiceless [q] = Quechua [qaʎu]

Question 18

Pharyngeal

Answer 18

Constriction made by the ROOT of the tongue and the BACK WALL of the PHARYNX

[ʕ]

Question 19

Epiglottal

Answer 19

Constriction made by the EPIGLOTTIS and ROOT of the tongue against the back wall of the PHARYNX

[ʡ]

Question 20

Glottal/Laryngeal

Answer 20

Constriction made by the VOCAL FOLDS (glottis)

• [ʔ] as in Cockney ‘bottle’ or ‘glottal’
• voiceless [h] or voiced [ɦ] in ‘ahead’

Question 21

What is Manner of Articulation?

Answer 21

describes the type of constriction made by the articulators

3 MAIN TYPES
- DEGREE of constriction
          >stop>fricative>approx (>vowel)
- ACTION of articulator
-PATH of airflow

Question 22

Degree of Constriction:

Stop
aka: Plosive

Answer 22

Airflow COMPLETELY BLOCKED by constriction

[p] [b] [d] , glottal[ʔ] (cockney = bo’(tt)le) etc

Question 23

Degree of Constriction:

Fricative

Answer 23

NARROW constriction causes TURBULENCE in the AIRSTREAM as it passes through
- characteristic HISSING EFFECT - aperiodic sound waves
[z] [x] (loch) [ɸ] (fuji)

Question 24

Degree of Constriction:

Approximant

Answer 24

RELATIVELY open constriction - LITTLE or NO airstream turbulence

[j] [ɹ] [w] [l] [ɻ]

Question 25

Action of articulator:

Tap/flap

Answer 25

a very brief stop, some made when one articulator passes another.

FLAP: brief contact as active articulator passes

TAP: active articulator as for stop but very brief

• alveolar [ɾ] in casual pronunciation of ‘better’
• retroflex [ɽ] in Warlpiri [maɽa] ‘handle’ > tongue curled back then makes contact as it =licks forward again

Question 26

Action of articulator:

Trill

Answer 26

Loosely held articulator is VIBRATING MOTION by airflow

• alveolar [r] in Spanish perro ‘dog’ (vs alveolar tap in pero ‘but’)
• n uvular [ʀ] in conservative French ‘Paris’

Question 27

Path of Airflow:

Nasal

Answer 27

Airflow through NASAL CAVITY

• constriction in mouth prevents oral airflow
• velum (sft palate) lowered to allow nasal airflow

[m] [n] [ŋ]

• nasal vowel in French [bɒ̃] bon ‘good’ *

note nasal diacritic

Question 28

Path of Airflow:

LATERAL (vs Central)

Answer 28

Lateral sounds have an AIRFLOW that runs THRU ONE or BOTH /SIDES/ of the mouth but NOT along the CENTRAL line
[l] [ɬ] [ɮ]

OTHER oral sounds = central.
NOTE: “central” mainly used of approximants to distinguish from lateral approx.