Phonetics Definition
Phonetics is the study of the sounds used in speech. It’s a branch of linguistics that deals with the production, transmission, and reception of human speech sounds.
Types Of Phonetics
Phonetics can be broadly categorized into three types:
1. Articulatory Phonetics: This type of phonetics focuses on how speech sounds are physically produced. It studies how different parts of our mouth, like the tongue, lips, and vocal cords, move and interact to create specific sounds.
Example 1: The sound “p” in the word “pat” is made by pressing your lips together and then releasing them, creating a quick burst of air.
Example 2: The sound “s” in the word “sit” is produced by keeping your tongue close to the roof of your mouth while letting the air flow out between your tongue and the roof of your mouth.
2. Acoustic Phonetics: Acoustic phonetics is about the properties of sounds, particularly their physical characteristics. It deals with the sound waves created during speech. Scientists in this field examine the pitch, frequency, and amplitude of these waves. Think of it as understanding the patterns and properties of sound waves when you speak or listen.
Example 1: The pitch of your voice rises when you ask a question, creating higher-frequency sound waves.
Example 2: The intensity (loudness) of the sound when you shout “yay!” is higher compared to when you say it softly, resulting in different amplitudes of sound waves.
3. Auditory Phonetics: Auditory phonetics focuses on how sounds are perceived and interpreted by the human ear and brain. It explores how our ears receive sound waves and our brain processes them into meaningful information. It’s like decoding the sounds we hear and understanding what they mean.
Example 1: Your ears recognize the difference between the sounds “b” and “p” in words like “bat” and “pat.” Even though they sound similar, your brain processes the subtle differences in acoustic properties to understand the meaning.
Example 2: When someone speaks in a loud environment, your auditory system helps you focus on their voice and understand what they’re saying despite the background noise.
Simple Terms
- Articulatory Phonetics: How we physically make sounds.
- Acoustic Phonetics: The properties and patterns of sound waves.
- Auditory Phonetics: How our ears and brain understand these sound waves.
Phonetic alphabets with symbols
Phonetic alphabets are sets of symbols used to represent the sounds of spoken language. One commonly used phonetic alphabet is the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Here is a chart showing the IPA symbols for English consonants and vowels:
Consonants:
- Plosives: Sounds produced by stopping the airflow completely and then releasing it. Examples: [p], [b], [t], [d], [k], [g]
- Fricatives: Sounds produced by forcing air through a narrow channel, creating a turbulent airflow. Examples: [f], [v], [s], [z], [ʃ] (as in “ship”), [ʒ] (as in “measure”)
- Affricates: Sounds that begin as stops and release into fricatives. Examples: [tʃ] (as in “chat”), [dʒ] (as in “judge”)
- Nasals: Sounds produced by letting air escape through the nose. Examples: [m], [n], [ŋ] (as in “sing”)
- Liquids: Sounds where the tongue partially obstructs the airflow. Examples: [l], [ɹ] (as in “red”)
- Glides: Sounds where the articulatory organs change slowly from one vocalic gesture to another. Examples: [j] (as in “yes”), [w] (as in “we”)
Vowels:
- Close Vowels: Sounds produced with a relatively small gap between the tongue and the roof of the mouth. Examples: [i] (as in “beet”), [ɪ] (as in “bit”), [u] (as in “boot”), [ʊ] (as in “foot”)
- Mid Vowels: Sounds produced with a medium-sized gap between the tongue and the roof of the mouth. Examples: [e] (as in “bet”), [ɛ] (as in “bat”), [o] (as in “boat”), [ɔ] (as in “caught”)
- Open Vowels: Sounds produced with a relatively large gap between the tongue and the roof of the mouth. Examples: [æ] (as in “cat”), [a] (as in “father”), [ɑ] (as in “balm”)
Consonants Chart
| Consonants | Examples |
| Plosives | /p/ /b/ (as in pat, bat) /t/ /d/ (as in ten, den) /k/ /g/ (as in cat, go) |
| Fricatives | /f/ /v/ (as in fan, van) /s/ /z/ (as in sun, zoo) /ʃ/ /ʒ/ (as in ship, measure) /h/ (as in hat) |
| Nasals | /m/ (as in man) /n/ (as in not) /ŋ/ (as in sing) |
| Approximants | /j/ (as in yes) /w/ (as in wet) |
| Other Consonants | /l/ (as in light) /r/ (as in right) |
Vowels Chart
| Vowels | Examples |
| Monophthongs | /i/ (as in see) /e/ (as in bet) /ə/ (as in about) /ɑ/ (as in car) /ɔ/ (as in thought) /u/ (as in blue) |
| Diphthongs | /aɪ/ (as in my) /aʊ/ (as in now) /ɔɪ/ (as in boy) |
A Chart Of The International Phonetic Alphabet symbols For Consonants And Vowels In Detailed
Consonants:
| Consonant | IPA Symbol | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plosives | ||
| Voiceless Bilabial Plosive | /p/ | pen |
| Voiced Bilabial Plosive | /b/ | bean |
| Voiceless Alveolar Plosive | /t/ | ten |
| Voiced Alveolar Plosive | /d/ | day |
| Voiceless Velar Plosive | /k/ | key |
| Voiced Velar Plosive | /g/ | go |
| Voiceless Glottal Plosive | /ʔ/ | uh-oh |
| Fricatives | ||
| Voiceless Labiodental Fricative | /f/ | fan |
| Voiced Labiodental Fricative | /v/ | van |
| Voiceless Alveolar Fricative | /s/ | see |
| Voiced Alveolar Fricative | /z/ | zoo |
| Voiceless Palato-Alveolar Fricative | /ʃ/ | shoe |
| Voiced Palato-Alveolar Fricative | /ʒ/ | measure |
| Voiceless Glottal Fricative | /h/ | high |
| Affricates | ||
| Voiceless Alveolar Affricate | /tʃ/ | church |
| Voiced Alveolar Affricate | /dʒ/ | judge |
| Nasals | ||
| Bilabial Nasal | /m/ | man |
| Alveolar Nasal | /n/ | no |
| Velar Nasal | /ŋ/ | sing |
| Liquids | ||
| Alveolar Lateral Approximant | /l/ | light |
| Alveolar Tap or Flap | /ɾ/ | better |
| Glides | ||
| Palatal Approximant | /j/ | yes |
| Labiovelar Approximant | /w/ | wet |
Vowels:
| Vowel | IPA Symbol | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Monophthongs | ||
| Close Front Unrounded | /i/ | in |
| Close-Mid Front Unrounded | /e/ | bay |
| Open-Mid Front Unrounded | /ɛ/ | bed |
| Open Front Unrounded | /a/ | hat |
| Open Back Rounded | /ɒ/ | lot |
| Open-Mid Back Rounded | /ɔ/ | awe |
| Close Back Rounded | /u/ | up |
| Close-Mid Back Rounded | /o/ | go |
| Diphthongs | ||
| Close Front Unrounded | /aɪ/ | price |
| Close-Mid Front Unrounded | /eɪ/ | face |
| Open-Mid Front Unrounded | /ɔɪ/ | choice |
| Close Back Rounded | /aʊ/ | mouth |
| Close-Mid Back Rounded | /oʊ/ | go |
| Open Back Rounded | /əʊ/ | go |
Please note that the actual pronunciation of these sounds might vary slightly based on regional accents and dialects.
Superb explanation!
This helps me to understand this concept much easier
Thank You