Definitions

• Phonetics - the study of the symbols that represent meaningful speech sounds.– The sounds in all the languages of the world

together constitute a limited set, although some sounds in one language are not in another.

More Definitions

• Articulatory phonetics - the study of how the vocal tract produces the sounds of language

• Acoustic phonetics - the study of the physical properties of the sounds

• Clinical phonetics - deals with phonetics as it deals with disorders.

• Auditory phonetics - the study of the way listeners perceive sounds

Speech involves 2 processes

(1) production of the speech sounds (described in terms of articulatory and

acoustic phonetics); (2) perception of the speech sounds (described in terms of

auditory phonetics)

Phonetic Principle

• Phonetic Principle - each distinct sound of a language is represented by one and only one graphic symbol.– LETTERS do NOT make sound! – Symbols are used to represent the sounds that

we make– Orthography = Letters– we study phonetics because writing doesn’t

follow the Phonetics Principle

Orthography vs Phonetic Alphabet

• Discrepancy between spelling and sounds gave rise to a movement of “spelling reformers”

• wanted to revise the alphabet so that one letter would correspond to one sound, and one sound to one letter

• this alphabet would be a phonetic alphabet

Orthography vs Phonetic Alphabet

• Problems with orthography– a. Different letters represent a single sound

(many letters:1 sound)• to too two through threw clue shoe

• o, oo, wo, ough, ew, ue, oe = /u/

– b. A single letter represents different sounds (l letter: many sounds)

• dame dad father call village many

• “a” = /e, æ, a, , I, /

Orthography vs Phonetic Alphabet

• A combination of letters represent a single sound (several letters = 1 sound)– shoot character Thomas physics coat plain– oo /u/ ch /k/ th /t/ ph /f/ oa /o/ ai /e/

• some sounds are not represented by a letter (1 letter = 2 sounds)– cute futile utility– u /ju/

• one letter represents two sounds – xerox x = /ks/

• one letter represents no sound (silent letter)– cute (“e” is silent)– In English, there are a lot of silent letters. EX “psycho” (6 letters, 4

sounds)

International Phonetic Alphabet • To describe the sounds of English, or any other

language, we cannot depend on the spelling of words– this led to the development of the International

Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) in 1888 which could be used to symbolize the sounds found in all languages

– because many languages use a Roman alphabet like that used in the English writing system, the IPA phonetic symbols are based on the Roman letters

IPA (con’t)

• These phonetic symbols have a consistent value, unlike ordinary letters, which may or may not represent the same sounds in the same or different languages

• the IPA phonetic alphabet is still the primary one used all over the world today by phoneticians, language teachers, speech pathologists, linguists, and anyone wishing to symbolize the spoken word.

• It is impossible to construct any set of symbols that will specify all the minute differences between sounds

– no two utterances are ever physically the same

Phonetic Alphabet

• Phonetic alphabet - a set of symbols which can be used to differentiate all the phonetic sound segments in a one symbol to one sound fashion– a phonetic alphabet should include enough

symbols to represent the “crucial” differences

Phonetic Transcription

• phonetic transcription - representation of spoken language through the use of phonetic symbols– broad transcription - basics of what is spoken

without any notation for finer distinction– narrow transcription - finer description of speech

using diacritics to specify such properties as nasalization, length, stress, rounding, etc.

Phonetic Transcription

• Phonetic transcription is enclosed in [ ]– phonetic realization (pronunciation)

• Phonemic transcriptions are enclosed in / /– phonemic segments (ideal)

• Although when we speak or listen to someone speak, we hear speech as continuous (like music)– but everyone who analyzes language recognizes that

speech utterances can be segmented into individual sounds

• “cat” has 3 sounds k æ t