Phonetics I – Fall 2010

Affricate Sounds

A further enquiries

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

Preliminary Perspective

• An Affricate is sound is, under a preliminary perspective, are a non-stop combination of sounds begun by a plosive (total stop of air causing an explotion) sound and immediatelt followed by a fricative (friction) sound.

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

Affricate Sounds of English

• There are two affricate sounds in english.

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

• In this affricate sound, the first sound is / t /

• This sound is produced with the tip of the tongue placed in the alveolar ridge,

• The air flow is obstructed and the released, WITHOUT making the vocal fold vibrate.

• Immediately, the second sound is produced

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

• The second sound is

• This sound is produced with the tip of the tongue in the post-alveolar region (a little behind the alveolar ridge).

• The air is let loose producing a hissing sound -It produces friction.

• The vocal folds don’t vibrate either.

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

First Stage:

Source: http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

Second Stage:

Source: http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

• In the second affricate sound of English, the first sound is / d /.

• This sound is produced with the tip of the tongue placed in the alveolar ridge,

• The air flow is obstructed and the released, MAKING the vocal fold VIBRATE.

• Immediately, the second sound is produced

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

• The second sound is

• This sound is produced with the tip of the tongue in the post-alveolar region (a little behind the alveolar ridge).

• The air is let loose producing a hissing sound -It produces friction.

• The vocal folds DO vibrate.

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

First Stage:

Source: http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

Second Stage:

Source: http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

Further Discussion

• Peter Roach in his book English phonetics and phonology: a practical course (Cambridge, 3rd edition, 2009) points out that not all the combination of plosive+fricative sounds are considered Affricate Sounds

.• It is said that these type of combinations need to be HOMORGANIC, that means, they must be produced with the same articulators.

• In this way the combination / ks / of the word taxi is not considered an affricate because the sounds are not prouced with the same articulators

Phonetics I – Fall 2010

See:

http://books.google.cl/books?id=u29ff2oIPk8C&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=what%27s+an+affricate+sound%3F+roach&source=bl&ots=56mem1aAZX&sig=gNL3zJzj-pswnZko_TqIB-3lZmQ&hl=es&ei=cQPiS_3oKYOY8ASmysTvAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Pages 48-49

Here is a part of the book, copy and paste on the browser