ANATOMY OF

SPEECH
English Phonetics
& Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Speech Production and

Perception

English Phonetics &

Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Branches of Phonetics
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Articulatory Phonetics is the study

of the production of speech sounds.
Acoustic Phonetics is the study of
the physical properties of speech
sounds.
Perceptual or Auditory Phonetics is
concerned with the perception of
speech sounds.

Phonology
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

It aims to discover the principles that govern

the way sounds are organized in languages,
and to explain the variations that occur.
In phonology we normally begin by analyzing
an individual language, say English, in order to
determine its phonological structure, i.e. which
sound units are used and how they are put
together.
Then we compare the properties of sound
systems in different languages in order to make
hypotheses about the rules that underlie the
use of sounds in them, and ultimately we aim
to discover the rules that underlie the sound
patterns of all languages.

Phonetics vs. Phonology

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Phonetics
Language
independent
Study of all sounds

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Phonology
Language dependent
Study of only those
sounds that constitute
language and meaning
Phonology is a
subset of phonetics

English
Phonetic
s&
Phonolo
gy

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Speech Organs

English Phonetics &

Phonology

Hyoid bone =
support for the
tongue muscles

Prof. Milton L. Torres

English Phonetics &

Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Articulators
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

The Organs of Speech

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Vocal Cords
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

vocal cords
glottis

Vocal Cords Closed

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Vocal Fold Vibration

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

[UCLA Phonetics Lab demo]

English
Phonetic
s&
Phonolo
gy

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Speech Production

Source
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Filter
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

English
Phonetic
s&
Phonolo
gy

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Articulation of Consonants

Manners of Articulation
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Manners of articulation refers to

the way in which articulation can
be accomplished. The
articulators may
1)
close off the oral tract
2)
narrow the space considerably
3)
modify the shape of the tract

Manners of Consonants
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Plosives/stops: oral [p, b, t, d, k, g]

nasal [m, n, ]
Fricatives:
[f, v, , , s, z, , , h]
Approximants: [w, , j]
Lateral:
[l]
Trills:
alveolar trills
uvular trills
Taps/flaps: [] in city [s] and
letter [le]
Affricates: [] of church, [] of jet

Voiceless Dental [] Fricative

Voiceless Dental [] Fricative

Minimal Pairs

Voiced Dental [] Fricative

Oral vs Nasal Articulations

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Places of Articulation
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Places of articulation refers to

the different parts of speech
organs that are involved in
producing an obstruction. In
English, 11 places of articulation
are distinguished.

The 11 Articulation Places of R.P.

Consonants
English Phonetics &
Phonology

10

Prof. Milton L. Torres

(10) Glottal

The 11 Articulation Places of R.P.

Consonants
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Bilabial [p, b, m] ([w])

Labiodental [f, v]
Dental [, ]
Alveolar [t, d, n, s, z, , l]
Postalveolar [, , , ]
Retroflex [ ]
Palatal [j]
Velar [k, g, ]
Uvular [R]
Pharyngeal [] for some speakers in [at], hat
(for other speakers, glottal)
Glottal [h]

R.P. Consonants
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

[p] voiceless bilabial stop [b] voiced bilabial

stop
[t] voiceless alveolar stop [d] voiced alveolar
stop
[k] voiceless velar stop
[g] voiced velar stop
[m] bilabial nasal [n] alveolar nasal [] velar
nasal
[f] voiceless labio-dental fricative [v] voiced
labio-dental fricative
[] voiceless dental fricative [] voiced
dental fricative
[s] voiceless alveolar fricative [z] voiced
alveolar fricative
[] voiceless postalveolar fricative [] voiced
postalveolar fricative
[w] bilabial approximant [] alveolar
approximant

R.P. Consonants
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Affricate

Prof. Milton L. Torres

[t] [d]

English Phonetics &

Phonology

R.P. Consonant
Phonemes
Prof. Milton L. Torres

G.A. Consonants
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

kitten

G.A. Consonants
(V. Fromkin; R. Rodman; N. Hyams [2011] 245 &
inside of back cover)
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

kitten

whe
way
y

English
Phonetic
s&
Phonolo
gy

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Articulation of Vowels

The Theory of Cardinal

Vowels

English Phonetics &

Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

The cardinal vowels, as

exhibited by the vowel
diagram in the IPA chart, are a
set of vowel qualities
arbitrarily defined, fixed and
unchanging, intended to
provide a frame of reference
for the description of the
actual vowels of existing
languages.

Daniel Jones (1881-1967)

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

According to Jones,
the cardinal vowels
are a set of arbitrary
reference points
based on a
combination of
articulatory and
auditory judgments
to provide a precise
description of vowels
in languages.

Cardinal Vowel Chart

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Articulation of Vowels
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Articulation of Vowels
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Non-Cardinal Vowel
Chart

English Phonetics &

Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Pure/Monophthong Vowels
vs. Vowel Glides
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Pure vowels: vowels where the

quality remains constant
throughout the articulation.
Vowel glides: vowels where
there is an audible change of
quality in the articulation.

English Phonetics &

Phonology

Diphthongs vs.
Triphthongs
Prof. Milton L. Torres

If a single movement of the

tongue is involved, the glides
are called diphthongs.

Triphthongs
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

A double movement produces a

triphthong, which is a glide from
one vowel to another and then to a
third, all produced rapidly and
without interruption.

Factors that Affect Vowel Pronunctiation

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Internal factors
First, the difference in quality of some of
the vowels may depend heavily on the
speakers accent and personal preference,
but such a difference will not cause a
difference in meaning.
Second, the difference between the two
vowels in beat and bid is more of quality
than of length. And the idea of tenseness
is introduced to account for this
difference.

Factors that Affect Vowel Pronunctiation

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

The Lombard
effect or
Lombard
reflex is the
involuntary
tendency of
speakers to
increase the
intensity of
their voice
when speaking
in loud noise to
enhance its
audibility.

Vowels in R.P. (Wells,

2000)

English Phonetics &

Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

a a

(car x
not)

British English Vowels

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

British English Vowels

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Vowel Tenseness
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

In phonology,tensenessortensingis the pronunciation of

a vowel with narrower mouth width (often, with the tongue
being raised) and usually with less centralizationand
longerdurationcompared with another vowel, thus causing
aphonemic contrastbetween the two vowels. Contrast
between vowels on the basis of tenseness is common in
many languages, including English; for example, in most
English dialects,[i](as in the wordbeet) is the tense
counterpart to the lax//(as inbit), and/u/(as inkook) is
the tense counterpart to the lax//(as incook). The
opposite quality of tenseness, in which a vowel is produced
as relatively more widened (often lowered), centralized, and
shortened is calledlaxnessorlaxing.

GIEGERICH, Heinz J. English phonology: an introduction.

CUP, 1992.

Vowel Tenseness
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Vowel Tenseness
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Vowel Tenseness
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Vowel Tenseness in R.P.

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Big Ben
hadcooked
thebutter.
(all lax
vowels)

American English Vowels

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

American English Vowels

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

American English Vowels

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

American English Vowels

(Fromkin Rodman Hyams [2011] 248)
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

R.P. & G.A. Vowels in the Cardinal

Vowel Chart
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

G.A. and R.P. Pure

Sounds

English Phonetics &

Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

o
a

(G.A.)

(not
)

(car
)

Source: Roca & Johnson, 1999: 190 (Note that where symbols appear
in pairs, the one to the right represents the G.A. counterpart.)

Relative Articulation
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

In phoneticsandphonology,relative
articulationis a description of the
mannerand placeofarticulation of a
speech sound relative to some
reference point. Typically, the
comparison is made with a default,
unmarkedarticulation of the same
phoneme in a neutral sound
environment. For example, the English
velar consonant/k/isfrontedbefore
the vowel/i/(as inkeep) compared to
articulation of/k/before other vowels

Relative Articulation
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

The relative position of a sound may be

described as
advanced(fronted),retracted(backed),rai
sed,lowered,centralized, or midcentralized. The latter two terms are only
used with vowels, and are marked in
theI.P.A.with diacritics over the vowel
symbol. The others are used with
bothconsonantsand vowels, and are
marked withiconic diacritics under the
letter. Another dimension of relative
articulation that has I.P.A. diacritics is the

Diacritics
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Lowering and Raising

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

uptack

downtack

Lowering and Raising

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

a
Source: Roca & Johnson, 1999: 190 (Note that where symbols appear
in pairs, the one to the right represents the G.A. counterpart.)

Rhoticity
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

o
a
Source: Roca & Johnson, 1999: 190 (Note that where symbols appear
in pairs, the one to the right represents the G.A. counterpart.)

Advanced Vowels (Fronting)

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

o
a
Source: Roca & Johnson, 1999: 190 (Note that where symbols appear
in pairs, the one to the right represents the G.A. counterpart.)

Fronting Also Happens w/Consonants

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Description of English Vowels

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

the height of tongue raising (high,

mid, low) or the way lips are rounded
(close, mid, open)
the position of the highest part of the
tongue front, central, back
the length or tenseness of the vowel
(tense vs. lax or long vs. short)
lip-rounding (rounded vs.
unrounded/spread)

Classification of Vowels
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Four Criteria for Classifying

Vowels:

Tongue Height

Tongue Location (toward back or front)

Mouth & Lip Tension

Lip Rounding vs Stretching

G.A. & R.P. Vowels

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

Australian (= R.P.) Vowels & Diphthongs

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

speechmatters.com.au

Phonetic Transcription
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

George Bernard
Shaw used to
say that he
could spell the
word fish as
ghoti.
ghoti

/ f /
enoughwomen nation

There is no
Memory Aids (R.P.)
[o]
(Short vs. Long vs. Complex Vowels)
English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

a funny duck
a good bull
a hot dog
a big pig
a red hen
a black cat
a purple bird
a blue kangaroo
a small horse
a green seal
a dark shark
an American
gorilla
a wild tiger
a brown cow
an old goat
a fearful deer
a grey snake

Letter-Symbol Correspondence (R.P.)

English Phonetics &
Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

English Phonetics &

Phonology

Prof. Milton L. Torres

This presentation is based on

lectures available in the Internet
(some of which do not mention the
author), including:

1.

JACKSON, Philip. Phonetics. (s.d.).

2.

BROWNING, Sue. (2001).