A vowel is produced without such ‘stricture’ so that ‘air escapes in a relatively unimpeded way through the mouth or nose’.
The distinction between vowels and consonants lies in the obstruction of airstream.
sounds Speech organs Description of speech sounds Classification of speech sounds
The field of study
Phonetics: the scientific study of speech sounds, concerning with defining and classifying speech sounds.
voiced and voiceless: some consonants and all vowels
Speech organs
Lips Teeth Alveolar ridge: convex pay behind the teeth Hard palate: concave part of the roof of the
Other names
dorsal: the dorsum articulates with the roof of the mouth. 舌面音
coronal: the crown may articulate with the teeth, the alveolar ridge, or the forward part of the hard palate immediately behind the alveolar ridge.冠状音
Position of the vocal folds: glottal stop
Description of speech sounds
We use Phonetic Alphabets to describe speech sounds
First proposed by the Danish grammarian and phonetician Otto Jespersen (1860-1943) in 1886
opposite the teeth ridge
Front of the tongue: the part opposite the hard palate
Back of the tongue: the part opposite the soft palate
Epiglottis: this is drawn over the windpipe when swallowing
Windpipe vs Food passage
Vocal cords or vocal lips: The upper extremity of the windpipe (Adam’s apple) which contains and protects the vocal cords
Position of the vocal folds: voicing (initial & the widest aperture)
Eleven places of articulation are distinguished on the IPA chart:
Place of articulation
bilabial dental labiodental alveolar post-alveolar retroflex palatal velar uvular pharyngeal glottal
obstruents: constriction that is tight enough to lead to friction when air stream is passed through it.阻塞音: plosives, affricates, fricatives (in contrast with sonorants)
they may narrow the space considerably; or
they may simply modify the shape of the tract by approaching each other.
Manner of articulation
plosives (oral stops) nasal stops fricatives affricates approximants无擦通音: lateral [l], non-lateral [ɹ], semi-
vowel [j] [w]
(lateral approximant) trills taps (flaps)
The place of articulation refers to the point where a consonant is made.
Practically consonants may be produced at any place between the lips and the vocal folds.
Speech sounds can be identified as individuals.
So studies on speech sounds in various perspectives and
Two major areas: phonetics and phonology.
Phonetics The field of study The way of sound description
Chapter Two: Speech sounds: phonetics and phonology
We are capable of making all kinds of sounds, but only some have been used in the language system.
Articulation of sounds
Speech organs: lungs, trachea, larynx, pharyngeal, oral cavity, and nasal cavity.
Glottis: vocal folds Voicing: vibration of the vocal folds:
The categories of consonant, therefore, are established on the basis of several factors.
Consonants may be divided into two groups in terms of 2 dimensions: the place of articulation and the manner of articulation.
Phonology phonetics and phonology ideas and concepts theories and approaches
2.1 Phonetics
The field study Speech sounds and non-speech sounds Pulmonic and non-pulmonic speech
International Phonetic Alphabets (IPA): a unique written representations (a list of symbols) of every sound in every language
Diacritics: any mark in sound description additional to letters or other basic elements. [¨], [˜]
The manner of articulation refers to ways in which articulation can be accomplished:
the articulators may close off the oral tract for an instant or a relatively long period;
mouth Soft palate in lowered position Uvula: the loose hanging end of the soft palate Pharynx Blade of the tongue: including the tip, the part
Consonants Vowels Place of articulation: Manner of articulation: Openness, backness, rounding
Consonants and vowels
A consonant is produced ‘by a closure in the vocal tract, or by a narrowing which is so marked that air cannot escape without producing audible friction’.
Narrow transcription: detailed Broad transcription: general
The Internati onal Phonetic Alphabet (Revised to 2005)
Classification of speech sounds