phonetics and phonology (original) (raw)
Articulatory Phonetics We will spend the next few days studying articulatory phonetic: what is involved in the actual movement of various parts of the vocal tract during speech. (Use transparancy to discuss organs of speech; oral, pharyngeal and nasal cavities; articulators, lungs and diaphragm). All speech sounds are made in this area. None are made outside of it (such as by stomping, hand clapping, snapping of fingers, farting, etc.) Theoretically, any sound could be used as a speech sound provided the human vocal tract is capable of producing it and the human ear capable of hearing it. Actually only a few hundred different sounds or types of sounds occur in languages known to exist today, considerably fewer than the vocal tract is capable of producing. Thus, all speech sounds result from air being somehow obstructed or modified within the vocal tract. This involves 3 processes working together: a) the airstream process-the source of air used in making the sound. b) the phonation process-the behavior of the vocal cords in the glottis during the production of the sound. c) the oro-nasal process-the modification of that flow of air in the vocal track (from the glottis to the lips and nose). Let's discuss the airstream process first. The airstream process The first major way to categorize sounds according to phonetic features is by the source of air. Where does the air come from that is modified by the vocal organs? Languages can use any of three airstream mechanisms to produce sounds.
Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology
Michael Olayinka Gbadegesin, 2019
The aim of this chapter is to expose the students to the English sound system in order to improve their spoken English. The chapterintroduces the learners to phonetics and phonology. It presents organs of speech briefly and focuses on the segmental features -English vowel and consonant sounds; their articulation, symbols and classifications. Though the expression of language can either be spoken or written, the spoken form is primary therefore, it forms the basis for the written form. This is evident in the fact that some languages, in spite of their functionality in their respective speech communities, have not developed orthography for their written form. Phonetics and Phonology are the branches of linguistics that study the sound production and sound combinations. Phonetics and Phonology are two different but related concepts. Though there are profound differences between them, there are also some areas of overlapping. Therefore, it is sometimes very difficult for many students to differentiate between the two concepts.