Phonetics: The Study of Speech and Sounds of Language

Phonetics

is the systematic study of speech and the sounds of language.

Minimal pairs

A minimal pair is a pair of words that vary by only a single sound: Paul/call, pea/key, Peel/keel, Pick/kick, Poke/coke, Pool/cool, pea/key, bee/pea, bin/pin, beg/beg, beep/peep, bay/pay.

Place

In other words, these are the places where the constrictions and obstructions of air occur.

Bilabial

Articulated by the lower lip and upper lip /m/ /b/ /p/ /w/

Labio-dental

Articulated by the lip and teeth /f/ /v/

Dental

Articulated by the tongue and teeth /θ/v /ð/u

Alveolar

Articulated by the tongue and alveolar ridge t/ /d/ /s/ /z/ /ʧ/ /ʤ/ /n/ /l/ /t̬/

Palatal

Articulated by the tongue and hard palate /∫/ /ʒ/ /r/ /j/

Velar

Articulated by the tongue and velum /k/ /g/ /η/ (/w/)

Glottal

Articulated by the glottis /h/

Manners

The manner of articulation is the way the airstream is affected as it flows from the lungs and out the nose and mouth.

Nasal

Consonants are created when you completely block air flow through your mouth and let the air pass through your nose. /m/ /n/ /η/

Stop

Consonants occur when the vocal tract is closed completely and then releases in a burst /p/ /b/ /d/ /t/ /k/ /g/

Fricative

We let the airflow to a narrow channel /f/ /v/ /s/ /z/ /∫/ /ʒ/ /θ/ /ð/ /h/

Affricate

Are a mix of a stop and fricative consonants. Affricate consonants start as stop sounds with air then releases through a narrow channel /ʤ/ /ʧ /

Liquid approximants

Are when two articulators come close together but not quite close enough to create air turbulence. /r/ /w/ /j/

Glide or lateral

Consonants are when the tongue blocks the middle of your mouth so that air has to pass around the sides /l/

The technical names of vowels tell four things about a sound:

1. The height of the tongue (high-mid-low)
2. The portion of the tongue that is raised or lowered (front-central-back)
3. The tenseness of the tongue (tense-lax)
4. The rounding of the lips (round-unround

3: ir