July 27, 2017

INTRODUCTION TO
LINGUISTICS: PHONETICS
Phonetics

 Is the study of sounds made in the production

of human languages.
 Phonetics has two branches: Articulatory
Phonetics and Acoustic Phonetics
 Articulatory Phonetics: focuses on the human
vocal apparatus and describes sounds, how
they are produced in the vocal tract.
 Acoustic Phonetics: studies the nature of
sound waves produced in human language
using the tools of physics
IPA

 IPA stands for International Phonetic

Alphabets
 Is a system to represent actual sounds of
human languages
Inconsistency of Spelling

 Cough koff
 Tough tuff
 Bough bow
 Through thru
 Though tho
Inconsistency of Spelling

 Philosophy
 Film
 Cough
IPA Chart: Consonants
IPA Chart: Vowels
 Syukur [∫ukur]
 Sure [∫Ɔr]
Vocal Tract
Describing Sounds

 Speech sounds can be identified in terms of

their articulatory properties (where and how
they are produced).
 Three properties to describe sounds include:
voicing, place of articulation, and manner of
articulation.
Describing Sounds

 Voicing: the vibration from your larynx when

air is forced through a narrow glottis between
two mucosal folds in the larynx.
 Using only this property enables us to create
words with different meanings, e.g. bus/buzz,
sip/zip, sane/Zane.
 Manner of articulation is related to how the
sounds are produced.
 Sounds are called fricatives when air is
continuously forced through narrow opening
at a place behind the upper teeth.
 Sounds are called stops/plosives when the air
is completely blocked/stopped behind and
above the upper teeth and then released in a
small burst of air.
 Place of articulation is where the sounds are
made/produced within the vocal tract. For
example, there are three major English Stop
sounds: lips, alveolar ridge, and soft palate
(velum).
 Try saying [p] and [b] and you will feel that
the air is stopped behind two lips and then
released.
 Because the point/place where the closure is
at the lips, the sounds [p] and [b] are called
bilabial stops.
 Sounds are called velar stops when the back
of the tongue touches the roof of the mouth
at the soft palate (velum).
 Try saying [k] and [g]. Describe them!
 [k] = voiceless velar stop
 [g] = voiced velar stop
 Interdental fricatives: sounds are produced
with the tongue between the upper and lower
teeth. Try [θ] as in teeth or [ð] as
in this
 Alveo-palatals: sounds are produced with the
center of the tongue touches the area
between the ridge and the soft palate
(velum). Air is not completely blocked, thus
creating friction. Try [∫] as in wish or
[Ʒ] as in measure
Consonants

 Consonants are produced by partially or

completely blocking air in its passage from the
lungs through the vocal tract.
 Stops: air is built up in the vocal tract and
suddenly released through the mouth.
 Fricatives: air is continuously forced through a
narrow opening.
 Affricates: air is completely stopped at some
place of articulation and then released and
continued to flow on a narrow passage. It is stop-
fricative which is called affricates.
 Obstruents is a cover name for fricatives,
stops, and affricates together.