Notes on Phonetics Lecture

Overview of Phonetics

• Phonetics: The first level of linguistic analysis.
• Focuses on the basic elements of sounds in language.
• The study involves understanding how speech sounds are produced and what articulators are used.

Video Demonstration

• A video showing a person talking in an MRI scan.
• Highlights the movement of articulators (lips, tongue, uvula, throat) during speech.
• Emphasizes the complexity of language and speech production.

Anatomy and Function of the Vocal Apparatus

Key Concepts

• Unconscious Mastery: Most people master complex speech skills unconsciously.
• Larynx: Voice box that creates a buzzing sound through vocal folds.
  • Two states: Closed (vibrating) and Open (breathing).
• Vocal Tract: Modifies the buzzing sound created by the larynx.

Main Components of the Vocal Tract

1. Larynx (voice box)
2. Vocal Tract (includes tongue, lips, nasal cavity)

Types of Phonetics

1. Articulatory Phonetics: Study of how sounds are produced.
2. Acoustic Phonetics: Study of the properties of sound waves.

Articulators in Speech Production

Major Articulators

• Lips: Used for sounds like p, b, m.
• Teeth: Involved in sounds like f and v.
• Alveolar Ridge: Used for sounds like t, d, s.
• Hard Palate: The hard surface at the roof of the mouth.
• Soft Palate (Velum): Behind the hard palate; used for sounds like k, g.
• Uvula: Not used in English but in other languages for articulation.
• Pharynx and Glottis: Involved in sound production as well.

Types of Sounds in Phonetics

Consonants

• Phones: Distinct speech sounds.
• International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA): A system for representing sounds.
• Place of Articulation: Refers to where in the vocal tract airflow is obstructed.
• Manner of Articulation: Refers to how the airflow is obstructed.
• Voicing: Indicates whether vocal cords vibrate during sound production.

Examples of Consonant Types

• Stops: Total blockage of airflow (e.g., p, t, k).
• Nasal: Air redirected through the nasal cavity (e.g., m, n).
• Fricative: Partial blockage, creating friction (e.g., f, s, v).
• Approximants: Mild blockage without friction (e.g., l, r, j).
• Affricates: Combination of stop and fricative (e.g., ch, j).

Chart of Consonants

• The IPA chart organizes consonants by place and manner of articulation.
• Cells for unattainable sounds are grayed out.

Fricatives

• Formed by creating friction in airflow (e.g., f, s, z, h).

Nasals

• Formed by redirecting airflow through the nose.
  • Bilabial: m
  • Alveolar: n
  • Velar: ng

Trills and Flaps

• Trill: Multiple vibrations (e.g., Spanish r).
• Flap: Single vibration (e.g., American English "t" in kitty).

Approximants

• Sounds that allow airflow without friction (e.g., r, l).

Conclusion

• Understanding the complex nature of phonetics helps appreciate language production and structure.
• Focus on IPA will facilitate learning and describing sounds in various languages.