Fundamentals of Phonetics and Phonology: Speech Sound Analysis

Phonetics and Phonology: Defining Speech Sounds

Phonetics and phonology study the sounds of language and phonemes. Phonemes are mental representations of sounds shared by speakers of a language, including their combinatorial possibilities within the syllable structure.

Branches of Phonetics

• Articulatory Phonetics: Examines the physiological process of sound production.
• Acoustic Phonetics: Analyzes sounds based on physical parameters (e.g., frequency, amplitude).
• Auditory Phonetics: Focuses on the perception of sounds by the human ear.

Levels of Phonological and Phonetic Description

• Segmental Level: Focuses on individual sounds (consonants and vowels) and syllables, including phenomena arising from sound contact.
• Suprasegmental Level: Studies phenomena that affect multiple consecutive segments, words, or statements, such as stress and intonation.

Orthology and Spelling Rules

Orthology includes the rules for the proper pronunciation of sounds.

Spelling dictates the rules for the proper graphical representation of sounds (orthography).

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

The IPA is a system for the graphic transcription of speech sounds, providing a standardized representation available for any language.

The Production of Speech Sounds

Apart from the brain and nervous system, sound production involves three main groups of organs:

• Respiration: Lungs, bronchi, trachea.
• Phonation: Glottis, vocal cords, larynx.
• Articulation (Vocal Tract): Pharynx, nasal cavity, oral cavity, tongue, palate, lips, teeth.

Classification Based on Articulatory Position

Sounds are classified based on the activity and position of the vocal and articulatory organs:

Voiced and Voiceless Sounds

Sound is produced when air leaves the lungs, passing through the trachea and bronchi.

• Voiced Sounds: Produced when the vocal cords vibrate.
• Voiceless Sounds: Produced when the vocal cords do not vibrate.

Oral and Nasal Sounds

After passing the vocal folds, the air reaches the pharynx and then the mouth or nasal cavity.

• Oral Sounds: Produced if the soft palate is elevated, sealing off the nasal cavity against the posterior wall of the throat.
• Nasal Sounds: Produced if the soft palate is lowered, allowing the air to divide between the mouth and the nose.

Vowel Sounds and Consonant Sounds

This classification depends on the obstruction of the airflow:

• Vowel Sounds: Articulated when the air encounters no obstacle upon its departure from the vocal tract.
• Consonant Sounds: Articulated when fixed and mobile organs adopt positions that obstruct or modify the airflow.

Vowels: Production and Classification

Vowel sounds are produced when the expelled air finds no obstacle in the vocal tract. Vowels are typically oral, though they can adopt nasal resonance if pronounced in contact with a nasal consonant.

Vowels are classified according to:

• Degree of Tongue Elevation (Height): Based on the position of the lower jaw and the tongue against the palate, vowels are distinguished as high, mid-high, mid-low, and low.
• Degree of Tongue Advancement (Front/Back): Depending on the area of the vocal cavity where the tongue is positioned, vowels are distinguished as front, central, and back.

Vowel Subsystems (Stress)

• Tonic (Stressed) Vowel Subsystem: Vowels found in syllables where the phonetic emphasis lies.
• Atonic (Unstressed) Vowel Subsystem: Vowels found in syllables without primary emphasis.