INTRODUCTION The Sounds of English y The sounds of spoken English often times do not match up with the letters

of spoken English. Thus, to help us describe the sounds on a consistent way is through the production of alphabet with symbols which represent sounds in the term of the phonetic alphabet. y y Phonetics in the general study of the characteristics of speech sounds. Articulatory phonetics deals with the study of how speech sounds are made or articulated. y Acoustic phonetics is about the study of the physical properties of speech as sound waves on the air. y Auditory or perceptual phonetics deals with the perception, via the ear, of speech sounds. y Forensic phonetics is concerned with speakers identification and the analysis of recorded utterances in legal cases. y Consonant sounds are mostly produced through closure or obstruction in the vocal front. y Articulatory phonetics looks into low speech sounds are produced through our oral equipment. o Air is pushed out by the lungs up through the trachea (wind pipe) to the larynx. o Our vocal cords can be found in the larynx with two basic position 1. When the vocal cords are spread apart, the air from the lungs passes between them with no barrier. Sounds produced in this manner are described as voiceless. As the sounds of /s/ or /f/.

2. When the vocal cords are closed, the air from the lungs repeatedly pushes them apart as it passes through, causing vibration effect. Sounds produced in this manner are described as voiced as in the sounds of /z/ or /v/.

 Place of articulation where the speech sounds are articulated. Once the air has gone through the larynx, it comes up and out through the mouth and/or the nose. Most sounds are produces by using the tongue and often

parts of the mouth to constrict (tighten?) the shape of the oral cavity when the air travels.

 Place of articulation is about the location inside the mouth at which the construction takes place when speech sounds are made.

Bilabial (both lips)

these could be voiced and/or voiceless.

o Are sounds produced using both lips (upper and lower). The speech sounds of /p/ /b/ /w/ and /m/ are bilabial. (voiced)

Labiodental o Are sounds made with the upper teeth and lower lips, as in the production of the speech sounds /f/ (voiceless) and /v/(voiced).

Dental o Are sounds produced with the tongue tip behind the upper front teeth, as in the sound symbol (theta) with in . The voiced

dental is made by the sound symbol referred to as eth.  Alveolar o Are sounds formed with the front part of the tongue on the alveolar ridge, as in the sound symbols of /t/ /d/ /s/ /z/ and /n/. /t/ and /s/ are voiceless and the rest are voiced. Other alveolar are the sound symbols of /l/ and /r/.

Alveo-palatal o Are sounds made with the tongue at the very front of the palate, near the alveolar ridge, as in the sound symbols of / / and / / which are voiceless, while the sound symbol / / is voiced in joke, gem and judge. The other voiced sound symbol is pleasure and treasure. The /y/ sound is palate.  Velars o Are sounds made with the back of the tongue against the velum or soft palate which is located further back in the roof of the mouth. Voiceless velar sound is represented by sound symbol /k/ and voiced velar sound is found in the sound symbol /g/. The velum can be lowered to allow air to go through the nasal cavity to produce another voiced velar represent by the sound symbol / angma.  Glottal o The glottis is the space between the vocal cords in the larynx. When he glottis is open, and the air that forces through the mouth is not manipulated, the sound produced is that represented by /h/ which is voiceless. / or as palatal with the tongue in the middle of the

The place of articulations of English consonants (page45) beige cover, compare the symbols utk IPA, - the most universally acceptable.

 Manners of articulations - deals with low speech sound articulated or made.  Stops or plosive are sounds that are produced by zone form of complete stopping of the airstream (very briefly) and letting it go abruptly. The stops or plosives sounds include /p/ /b/ /t/ /d/ /k/ and /g/. The /t/ is a voiceless alveolar stop while the word

bed begin and ends with voiced stop.

 Fricatives (dentals, alveolars, glottal) are sounds produces when the airstream is almost blocked with the air pushing through the narrow opening, namely in the sounds of /f/ /v/ / / // /s/ /z/ / / and /z/. This can be seen in the production of the sound /f/ / / and /s/. The word fish begins and ends with voiceless fricatives, while the word these begins and ends with the voiced fricatives // and /z/.

 Affricatives are produced by combining a

of

the

airstream and an obstructed/release some friction namely in the sound / / and / /. The sound / / in the word cheap is a voicelss affricate and the / / in the word jeep is a voiced affricate.  Nasal are produced when the velum is lowered and the airstream is allowed to flow out through the nose as in the sounds of /m/ /n/ and / / which are all voiced.  Approximants are sounds that are by the

vowel sound. The voiced of sounds /w/ and /y/ or glides are produced with the tongue moving to or from the position of a nearby vowels as in the words we, wet, you, and yes. /l/ and /r/ or liquates are also approximants when the tongue make contact with the alveolar ridge as in the former and the tongue tip is raised and curled back behind the alveolar ridge of the .The

voiceless approximants /h/ in the word Hi and hello begins the pronunciation of  The glottal stop represented by the symbols as if it was voiceless. occurs when the space between and then released.

the vocal cords (glottis) is closed completely, very

Oh oh is an example when people produce a glottal stop. uh uh or batman can also produce glottal stops. You can also have glottal stops produce in butter and bottle and water. (Cockney, Scottish and New Yorkers)  The American English version of glottal stops is called the flaps as in the word butter pronounced as budder. Other examples where Americans use the flap are in the words letter ladder, writer rider, metal medal, and Plato play dough.