LING 40030 - General Linguistics

• Weeks 10-12: Production, Perception and

Patterning of Sounds

(Phonetics and Phonology)

Dr. John Wogan

• Office: A201 Newman Building

• E-mail: John.Wogan@ucd.ie

• � 716 8215

• Office hours: Tues 1-3, Thurs 1-2

Schedule of Topics

• Week 10: Articulatory Phonetics

How do we classify sounds?

• Week 11: Speech Perception

What is involved in perceiving speech? How can

we capture the process?

• Week 12: Phonological Processes

How can we describe the patterns found in

speech? How can we explain the processes?

Description and Classification of Sounds

• Ladefoged, P. (2006), A Course in Phonetics.

London: Thomson & Wadsworth.

• Gussenhoven, C. & H. Jakobs (2005)

Understanding Phonology. London: Arnold.

• Plenty of other introductory Phonetics and

Phonology textbooks in library.

Internet Resources

• Customisable Vocal Tract

www.chass.utoronto.ca/~danhall/phonetics/sammy.html

• Flash Animation of Vocal Tract

www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/

• UCLA Phonetics Archive

www.phonetics.ucla.edu

Phonetics and Phonology

• Phonetics is the study of speech sounds, how

they are articulated, their acoustic properties,

and how they are perceived

• Phonology is concerned with how sounds

function within a language system, their

distributions, arrangements and the processes

that effect them.

Speech Communication

Continuous versus Discrete

• Phonetically, sounds are continuous.

• Sounds continuously exhibit the influence of

neighbouring sounds (coarticulation) e.g. caw

[k�] versus key [k�i]

• Phonologically, sounds are discrete.

• However, at a phonological level the sounds

[k] and [k�] function alike: they are both /k/

Spectrogram: “She said sushi”

Sh e s ai d s u sh i

“We were away a year ago”

w e w ere a w ay a y ea r a g o

How many sounds?

Bilabial Labio-

Dental

Dental Alveolar Post-

Alveolar

Velar Glottal

Plosive p b t� d� t d k g

Nasal m n �Fricative f v s z � h

Approxi

mant

Lateral l

Consonant chart (Irish English)

Bilabial Labio-

Dental

Dental Alveolar Post-

Alveolar

Velar Glottal

Plosive p b t� d� t d k g

Nasal m n �Fricative f v s z � h

Approxi

mant

Lateral l

Consonant chart (Irish English)

Bilabial Labio-

Dental

Dental Alveolar Post-

Alveolar

Velar Glottal

Plosive p b t� d� t d k g

Nasal m n �Fricative f v s z � h

Approxi

mant

Lateral l

Consonant chart (Irish English)

Bilabial Labio-

Dental

Dental Alveolar Post-

Alveolar

Velar Glottal

Plosive p b t� d� t d k g

Nasal m n �

Fricative f v s z � h

Approxi

mant

Lateral l

The International Phonetic Alphabet

• Since the 16th century attempts have been made to devise a universal system for transcribing speech sounds. The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) has been developing since 1888.

• Avoids the problem of orthography, one IPA symbol = one sound.

• Independent of any particular language:

e.g.Eng: sharp Ir: Seán Fr: chambre

- all begin with [ � ]

IPA Good, Orthography Bad

• Orthography can have a one letter (or letter sequence)

to many sounds relationship e.g. in English ou can be

[�] in cough, [�] in thought, [au] in loud, [�] in

journal, [o] in soul, [ ] in couple, [�] in could or [u]

in youth

• There are also one sound to many letters relationships

e.g. in French [ �� ] can be written temps ‘weather’,

tant ‘so much’, tan ‘tan’, taon ‘horsefly’, tend

‘tighten’, Caen (name of a city), champ ‘field’,

grand ‘big’, emporter ‘take’ or en ‘in’

The International Phonetic Alphabet

The International Phonetic Alphabet

jkjkjkjkjkjjjk

Initiation

Phonation

Articulation

Initiation: Airstream Mechanism• Pulmonic

– Egressive (outwards) versus Ingressive (inwards)

• Glottalic Airstream

– Egressive: Ejectives (Navajo, Quechua)

• Quechua [t�aka] bridge [t�’aka] ‘hoarse’ [kujui]

‘move’ [k’ujui] ‘twist’

– Ingressive: Implosives: Sindhi (Indo-Aryan), Igbo

• Igbo [iba] ‘rich’ [i�a] ‘gather’ [ida] ‘cut’ [i�a] ‘chew’

• Velaric Airstream: Clicks

– Ingressive: Zulu, Xhosa (Bantu), Khoi, San (Khosian)

• Nama [|o] ‘play music’ [!oas]‘belt’ [�aos]‘strike’

And so begins our tour of the Vocal Tract

• The Larnyx houses the Vocal Folds

• The Vocal Folds may be kept apart. A sound

with this configuration is termed voiceless or

unvoiced.

• The Vocal Folds may be oscillating, (opening

and closing). A sound with the Vocal Folds

vibrating is termed a voiced sound.

Phonation: Vocal folds

• All languages possess voiced and voiceless

sounds

• Important to be able to distinguish voicing

from voicelessness

• easy for most consonants

• Not so easy for a class of consonants

called stops [ p, t, k ]

• In English, voiceless stops are accompanied

by aspiration, a slight puff of air

-Pan [ p�æn ]

-French pain [ p�� ]

Voiced or Voiceless?

• [ m ]

• [ � ]

• [ f ]

• [ p ]

• [ g ]

• [ d� ]

• [ x ]

voiced

voiceless

voiceless

voiceless

voiceless

voiced

voiced

The Many Lives of the Larynx

• Phonation Types

• Modal voicing

• Depending on muscular and other

configurations within the larynx:

• whispery voice

• creaky voice

• breathy voice

• falsetto voice

San Lucas Quiavini

(a Zapotec language)‘gets

bitter’

‘gets

ripe’

‘lets go

of’

modal

breathy

creaky

‘daa’

‘dah’

‘ddààà’

Other lives of the Larynx

• Controls pitch (fundamental frequency, f0)

• average 100 Hz (male), 200 Hz (female)

• Intonation (suprasegmental feature): the use of

pitch distinctively over a phrase

• Declarative versus Interrogative

• Grammatical function

• Paralinguistic/Expressive

“Do you like phonetics?”

• Yes. (low fall): neutral, detached

• Yes. (level): bored, sarcastic

• Yes? (low rise): “what’s the catch?”

• Yes! (high rise): surprise

• Yes!! (high fall): emotional involvement

• may vary across dialects

• does vary across languages

Other lives of the Larynx

• Tonal languages (e.g. Chinese) possess lexical

items (i.e words) which contrast exclusively in

terms of pitch

• ma high level “mother”

• ma high rising “hemp”

• ma low falling rising “horse”

• ma high falling “scold”

To boldly go...beyond the larynx

• Air may be obstructed anywhere in the vocal

tract by the various articulators.

• If the vocal folds are not vibrating, this is all

we hear

• If the vocal folds are producing voicing, we hear

a mixture voicing and the “obstruction noise”

• Where the obstruction takes place is termed

Place of Articulation

Passive Articulators

Active Articulators

• Articulator Phonetic Label Example

• Lips Bilabial [ p b m ] Labiodental [ f v ]

• Teeth Dental [ t� d� % & ]• Alveolar Ridge Alveolar [ t d s z ]• Hard Palate Palatal [ j ]• Soft Palate Velar [ k ) ]

(Velum)

• Uvula Uvular [ * ]• Pharynx Pharyngeal

• Vocal Folds Glottal [ h ](Glottis)

Postalveolar Sounds

• Sounds may also be produced just behind the

Alveolar Ridge: Postalveolar

• [ � ] Sheep

• [ ] leisure, azure

• PostAlveolar = Palato-Alveolar = Alveolo-

Palatal

Recap: Places of Articulation for

Irish Englishp b t� d� t d k )

f v % & s z

Some Practice

• Indicate letters corresponding to Alveolar sounds:

• It’s quite a simple question you know.

• Indicate letters corresponding to Bilabial sounds:

• Place that pebble in the bin, mister.

• Indicate letters corresponding to Voiceless sounds:

• Sleep is a good goal to aim for.

• Indicate letters corresponding to Velar sounds:

• Keep thinking about going home

Consonant Specification

• For Consonants, you need to specify:

• Voicing: voiced or voiceless

• Place of Articulation: it’s always Location,

Location, Location!

• Manner of Articulation: it ain’t what you do,

it’s the way that you do it

Articulatory Phases

• Articulations consist of three distinct phases:

• Approach Phase: articulators are moved

towards their intended target

• Hold Phase: articulators reach target and

maintain that configuration

• Release Phase: articulators move away from

the target position

Manner of Articulation

(or Degrees of Stricture)

Nasal/Oral

Bilabial Stops

[ p ] [ b ]

Labio-dental Fricatives

[ f ] [ v ]

Bilabial Stop versus Nasal

[ b ] [ m ]

Dental Stops

[ t� ] [ d� ]

Dental Stop: Another Example

[ t� ]

Dental Fricatives

[ % ] [ & ]

(Inter)Dental Fricative

[ & ]

Alveolar Stops

[ t ] [ d ]

Alveolar Fricatives

[ s ] [ z ]

Alveolar Stop versus Nasal

[ d ] [ n ]

Alveolar (Retroflex and Lateral) Approximants

[ ] [ l ]

Postalveolar Fricatives

[ � ] [ ]

Palatal Approximant (glide)

[ j ]

Velar Stops

[ k ] [ ) ]

Velar Stop versus Nasal

[ ) ] [ � ]

Labio-velar approximant (glide)

[ w ]

What’s this sound?

[ . ] voiceless pharyn)eal fricative

And this sound?

[ 4 ] voiced palatal nasal

How about this sound?

[ 5 ] voiceless retroflex stop

Voicing/Place/Manner

• [ p ]

• [ z ]

• [ l ]

• [ � ]

• [ d ]

• [ h ]

• [ v ]

voiceless bilabial stop

voiced alveolar fricative

voiced alveolar lateral approximant

voiced velar nasal

voiced palato-alveolar/postalveolar affricate

voiceless glottal fricative

voiced labio-dental fricative

Vowel Specification

• For Vowels, you need to specify:

• Height (high, mid, low)

• Fronting: Front, Central or Back

• Lips: rounded or unrounded

Vowel Space

[i] [u]

high high

front back

unrounded rounded

[æ] [�]

low low

front back

unrounded rounded

Vowel Quadrilateral =

Abstraction of Vowel Space

Vowel Quadrilateral for

Irish English

i u

e o

�

æ �

�

�

high

mid-high

mid low

lowfront back

Rounding/front-back/height

• [ æ ]

• [ � ]

• [ u ]

• [ 7 ]

• [ o ]

• [ � ]

• [ � � ]

low front unrounded

mid central unrounded

high back rounded

high (lowered) front (retracted) unrounded

mid-high back rounded

low back unrounded

nasalised mid-low front unrounded

Vowel Quadrilateral for

Irish English

Diphthongs

i u

a

Transcription – individual words

[)em] [es] [t��is]

[s7�] [dæm] [d7m]

[l7kw7d] [t��iz] [�aut]

[main] [p7t�] [d�]

[pit�7z] [æmb��] [f�n�tiks]

Transcription - phrases

[ �is7ts7ntæfikdæmz�viivn7� ]

[ �i s7ts 7n tæfik dæmz �vi ivn7� ]

She sits in traffic jams every evening.