Chapter 4: The Sounds of

Language
(Lecture 3)

Lecturer: Ms. Alaa Al Mohammadi

Introduction to Linguistics - LANE 321

Phonetics- The Basics

We have a new seagh!!!

Phonetics- The Basics

Would you understand this?

seagh chef

How did the restaurant owner come up with this
spelling?

Take the 1st sound of the word ‘sure’

The middle sound of the word ‘dead’

The final sound of the word ‘laugh’

The sound-spelling
relationship

Did he believe that Caesar could see the people seize the seas?

To too two through threw clue shoe

tough “uff“

cough “off“

bough “aw“

though “oh“

through “ooh“

borough “uh“

hiccough “up“
More on English spelling

The relation between English spelling and
pronunciation is very complex:

Same spelling, different sounds: ough, ought,
cough, tough, through, though, hiccough

Silent letters: knee, knight, knife, debt, psychology,
mortgage

One letter, multiple sounds: exit, use

Multiple letters, one sound: the, revolution

Alternate spellings: jail vs giant

Curious example: One could write chef as seagh
(since sure, dead, laugh).

Phonetics- Basics

Remember:

Sounds of Spoken English Letters of Written English

Phonetics

Q: How can we solve this?

One solution is to produce a separate alphabet with
symbols that represent sounds.
The Phonetic Alphabet!

Phonetics
Objectives of this Chapter:

Define and understand Phonetics

Identify the main branches of Phonetics

Look at how symbols are used to represent
consonant sounds of English words

Look at the physical aspects of the human vocal
tract that are involved in the production of those
sounds.
 Phonetics

Knowledge of a language includes:

knowledge of sounds

how they are combined to form meaningful units

Some sounds are found in one language but not
another.

All the sounds in the world constitute a limited set of
the sounds that the human vocal tract can produce.

Phonetics

What is Phonetics?
The general study of the characteristics of
speech sounds.
Phonetics

Phonetics

Sounds

Consonants Vowels

Obstruction of airflow Free flow of air

Airstream mechanism

All sounds are made with some movements of air

The basic source of power is the lungs

The air goes up the windpipe (trachea) and into the

larynx and out of the body through the vocal tract
(i.e. mouth or nose)

Speech organs
Lungs

Most human sounds are produced by an

egressive pulmonic airstream.

i.e. lungs pushing the air outwards

During speech, the lungs take in air

rapidly and let it go slowly.

Larynx

Found at the very

top of the trachea

Contains the two
vocal folds, one
on the left one on
the right.
 Vocal folds

Their outer edges are

attached to muscle in
the larynx while their
inner edges are free.

If the back end of the
vocal folds are held
apart, a triangular space
opens up between them.

The space is called
glottis.

Voiced and voiceless sounds

-v
Vocal cords are spread apart air from lungs

passes between them unimpeded (no vibration)
+v

Vocal cords are drawn together air from
lungs repeatedly pushes them apart as it passes
through (vibration)

Try it!

Z-Z-Z-Z-Z

V-V-V-V

S-S-S-S

F-F-F-F
Vocal tract

The air passages above the larynx are known as
‘vocal tract’

The shape of the vocal tract is very important in the
production of speech.

Made up of:

Oral cavity (mouth and pharynx)

Nasal cavity

The parts of the vocal tract that are used to form
sounds are called articulators.

Upper and lower surface

Vocal tract cont.

Places of Articulation- English

How do we classify consonants?

They are classified by answering three

questions:
1. Voicing

2. Place of articulation

3. Manner of articulation

Places of Articulation- English

Bilabials [b, p, m, w]

Labiodentals [f, v]

Dentals [θ, ð ]

Alveolars [s, z, n]

Palato-alveolar [ʃ, ʒ]

Palatals [j]

Velars [k, g]

Glottals [h]
Bilabilas

Sounds formed using both upper & lower lips.
e.g.

pat [p]

bat [b]

mat [m]

way/ walk/ world [w]

Labiodentalas

upper teeth + lower lip

fat/ safe [f]

vat/ save [v]

Q: How about… cough & photo?

A: Despite the spelling differences

cough/ photo [f]
 Dentals

By the tongue tip behind the upper front teeth

e.g.

thin/ bath/ three teeth [θ] (theta)

the/ there/ then/ thus/ feather/ bathe [ð] (eth)

Interdentals = tongue tip between

upper & lower teeth

Alveolars

Front part of tongue on the alveolar ridge

Alveolar ridge = the rough ridge immediately
behind & above the upper teeth.
Alveolars
e.g.

top [t]

dip [d]

sit [s]

zoo [z]

nut [n]

lap/ lit [l]

right/ write [r]

Alveolars

bus [s]

buzz [z]

Q: How about ‘raise’?

A: [z]

OK.. How about..

knot

not

[n]
Palatals/ Alveopalatals

Tongue + palate
e.g. (-v)

shout [ʃ]

child [tʃ]

shoe-brush [ʃ]

church [tʃ]

Palatals/ Alveopalatals

[ʒ] – not very common in English
e.g.

treasure/ pleasure/ rouge

[dʒ]

e.g.

joke/ gem

George Despite
differences

judge
in spelling

[j]

you/ yet
 Velars

Back of the tongue + soft palate (velum)

[k]

kill/ kid

cold/car

cook/ kick/ coke

[g]

go/ gun/give

bag/ mug

plague

Velars

The velum can be lowered to allow air to flow

through the nasal cavity.

[ŋ] (angma)

In written English this letter is normally spelled as ‘ng’
e.g.

sing

sang

tongue

ringing

bang
 Glottals

No active use of the tongue and other parts of the

mouth.

The glottis (space between vocal cords & larynx)

The glottis is open

[h]
e.g.

have/ house

who/ whose

Consonants Chart
Limitation of the chart

Plz read p. 35

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