PHONETICS AS A BRANCH OF

LINGUISTICS

• Linguistics is the scientific study of human language.

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Morphophonology Historical (second-language)
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Pragmatics Sociolinguistics Language education
Orthography Linguistic anthropology
Semiotics Neurolinguistics
Psycholinguistics
 PHONETICS

Phonetics is the general study of the characteristics of speech

sounds.

Phonetics

↘
Auditory Phonetics
Articulatory Phonetics Acoustic Phonetics
(Perceptual phonetics)

The study of how The study of the The study that deals with
speech sounds are physical properties of the perception, via the
made, or articulated speech sounds as air, of speech sounds
sound waves in the air
Organs Participating in Sound Production
 Speech Sounds

Consonants Vowels

Produced via closure or Produced with a

obstruction of vocal relatively free
tracts flow of air

Using the tongue and The way in which

other parts of the the tongue
mouth to constrict, in influences the
some way the shape of shape through
the oral cavity through which the airflow
which the air passes passes
 CLASSIFICATION OF SOUNDS

Speech sounds (vowels and consonants) are classified according to:

Consonants Vowels
- Place of Articulation - Tongue Height
- Manner of Articulation - Tongue Position
- Voicing - Lip Rounding
- Length & Combination

Phonetic symbols of sounds are given according to the IPA

(International Phonetic Association) system.
FIRST: CONSONANTS
CONSONANTS ACCORDING TO
THE PLACE OF ARTICULATION
THE 8 MAJOR PLACES OF ARTICUL ATION
OF CONSONANTS

Bilabials
1.
Lips: b, p, m, w
Bilabials
,w
[w] as in wet
 THE 8 MAJOR PLACES OF ARTICUL ATION
OF CONSONANTS

2.
Lower lips+
upper teeth
Labio-dentals
 THE 8 MAJOR PLACES OF ARTICUL ATION
OF CONSONANTS

Dentals
3. (Interdentals)
Tongue between
the teeth/ behind
θ, ð
the upper teeth:
Interdentals
(dentals) [θ] as in tooth
[ð] as in there
THE 8 MAJOR PLACES OF ARTICUL ATION
OF CONSONANTS

4.
Tongue +
alveolar ridge:
Alveolars
Alveolars
d, t, s, z, n, l
 THE 8 MAJOR PLACES OF ARTICUL ATION
OF CONSONANTS

5. Post-alveolar
Tongue back just
a bit from the ʃ , ʒ, tʃ, dʒ
alveolar ridge
alveolar ridge: [ʃ] as in she
Post-alveolars [ʒ] as in vision
[tʃ] as in church
[dʒ] as in jacket, bridge
 THE 8 MAJOR PLACES OF ARTICUL ATION
OF CONSONANTS

6. Palatal
Tongue+ soft
roof of the mouth j
(palate):
Palatals
[j] as in you, yet
THE 8 MAJOR PLACES OF ARTICUL ATION
OF CONSONANTS

7.
Back of the
tongue+velum:
Velars

[ŋ] as in reading, long

THE 8 MAJOR PLACES OF ARTICUL ATION
OF CONSONANTS

8.
Glottis: Glottal
Glottals
h,Ɂ

Glottis
 ʃ , ʒ, tʃ, dʒ j

k, g, ŋ
d, t, s, z, n, l

b, p, m, w

j h,Ɂ

f, v

θ, ð
 CONSONANTS ACCORDING TO
THE MANNER OF ARTICULATION
 Plosives (stops) Sounds produced as a result of a very brief blocking stop of the [p], [b], [t],
air stream [d], [k], [g]

Sounds produced when the air stream is almost blocked and air [f], [v], [s],
Fricatives is pushed through the very narrow opening making a friction [z], [θ], [ð],
noise. [ʃ], [ʒ], [h]

Affricatives Sounds produced as a result of combining a brief stopping of the

[tʃ], [dʒ]
air stream with an obstructed release which causes a friction
noise.

Nasals
Sounds produced orally, with the velum raised preventing the [m], [n], [ŋ]
airflow from entering the nasal cavity. When the velum is lowered,
the air stream flows out through the nose.
Approximants

Liquids Lateral liquid: produced by letting the air stream flow around the
[l]
sides of the tongue while the tip of the tongue contacts the
alveolar ridge
Retroflex: formed when the tongue tip is raised and curled back [r]
near the alveolar ridge
Sounds produced with the tongue in motion (or “gliding”) to or
Glides [w], [j]
from the position of a vowel and are sometimes called semi-
vowels
Glottal stops Sound occurring when the space between the vocal folds (the [Ɂ]
glottis) is closed completely (very briefly), then released

Flaps
Sound produced by the tongue tip tapping the alveolar ridge [D], [ɾ]
briefly causing the pronunciation of [t] to be very close to [d]
CONSONANTS ACCORDING TO
VOICING
SPEECH PRODUCTION AND VOICING

To produce any sound,

the air is pushed out by
the lungs up through
the trachea to the
larynx. Inside the
larynx, there are the
vocal folds (vocal
cords).
 SPEECH PRODUCTION AND VOICING

• The vocal folds take two basic positions:

The vocal folds are The vocal folds are

spread apart drawn together

When the vocal folds are When the vocal folds are
spread apart, the air from drawn together, the air from
the lungs passes between the lungs repeatedly pushes
them unimpeded. them apart as it passes
Sounds produced in this way through, creating a vibration
are described as voiceless. effect.
Sounds produced in this way
are described as voiced.
 VOICING
As for consonants, there are several pairs of in English which differ only in
voicing -- that is, the two sounds have identical places and manners of
articulation, but one has vocal fold vibration and the other doesn't. These
pairs include: Voiceless voiced

[p] [b]

Plosives (stops) [t] [d]

[k] [ɡ]

[f] [v]

[θ] [ð]
Fricatives
[s] [z]

[ʃ] [ʒ]

[tʃ] [dʒ]
Affricatives
The other sounds of English do not come in voiced/voiceless pairs. [h] is
voiceless, and has no voiced counterpart. The other English consonants are all
voiced: [r], [l], [w], [j], [m], [n], and [ŋ].
Approximants Nasals
SECOND: VOWELS
 CLASSIFICATION OF SOUNDS

Speech sounds (vowels and consonants) are classified according to:

Consonants Vowels
- Place of Articulation - Tongue Height
- Manner of Articulation - Tongue Position
- Voicing - Lip Rounding
- Length & Combination

• All vowels are voiced.

 Tongue height and position
Lip rounding

Tongue position
Tongue height

Lip flat Lip rounded

 Front Vowels

Produced with the tongue in the front

of the mouth:
[i] beef, bead, key, me
[I] bid, myth, women
[ɛ] bed, dead, said
[æ] bad, laugh, wrap
 Central Vowels

Produced with the tongue in the center

of the mouth
[ə] above, oven, support
[ʌ] butt, blood, dove, tough
 Back Vowels

Produced with the tongue in the back

of the mouth
[u] move, boo, two, you,
[ʊ] book, could, put
[ɔ] born, caught, fall, raw
[ɑ] bob, cot, swan
In addition to single vowel sounds, we
regularly create sounds that consists of
a combination of two vowel sounds,
known as diphthongs.
When we produce diphthongs, our
vocal organs move from one vocalic
position to another.
 Diphthongs
[aɪ] buy, eye, I, my, pie, sigh
[aʊ] cow, bough, doubt
[eɪ] eight, great, bait, late, say
[oʊ] home, boat, throw, toe
[ɔɪ] boy, noise
 Length and combination

Vowels

Short vowels Long vowels Diphthongs Triphthongs

Longer than the short vowels A movement (glide) from A glide from a vowel to another
[ɪ] 'bit' & different in quality one vowel to another then to the mid-central [ə]

[e] 'bet' [i:] 'mean' - Ending in [ə]: eɪ + ə = [eɪə]

[æ] 'bat' [ɜ:] 'bird' [ɪə], [eə], [ʊə] 'player'

[ɑ:] 'pass' 'ear', 'aired', 'tour' aɪ + ə = [aɪə]

[ʌ] 'but'
- Ending in [ɪ]: 'fire'
[ɒ] 'pot' [ɔ:] 'torn'
[eɪ] , [aɪ], [ɔɪ] ɔɪ + ə = [ɔɪə]
[ʊ] 'put' [u:] 'soon'
'paid', 'pie', 'voice', 'loyal'

- Ending in [ʊ]: əʊ + ə = [əuə]

[əʊ], [aʊ] 'lower'

'home', 'house' aʊ + ə = [auə]

'power'
 Length and combination

Vowels

Short vowels Long vowels Diphthongs Triphthongs

Longer than the short vowels A movement (glide) from A glide from a vowel to another
[ɪ] 'bit' & different in quality one vowel to another then to the mid-central [ə]

[e] 'bet' [i:] 'mean' - Ending in [ə]: eɪ + ə = [eɪə]

[æ] 'bat' [ɜ:] 'bird' [ɪə], [eə], [ʊə] 'player'

[ɑ:] 'pass' 'ear', 'aired', 'tour' aɪ + ə = [aɪə]

[ʌ] 'but'
- Ending in [ɪ]: 'fire'
[ɒ] 'pot' [ɔ:] 'torn'
[eɪ] , [aɪ], [ɔɪ] ɔɪ + ə = [ɔɪə]
[ʊ] 'put' [u:] 'soon'
'paid', 'pie', 'voice', 'loyal'

- Ending in [ʊ]: əʊ + ə = [əuə]

[əʊ], [aʊ] 'lower'

'home', 'house' aʊ + ə = [auə]

'power'
 REFERENCES

Yule, G. (2016). The study of language. Cambridge university

press.

https://www.mimicmethod.com/ft101/place-of-articulation/