basic phonetics for teachers 29816

8/8/2019 Basic Phonetics for Teachers 29816

1/43


2/43

The English Language System

Speech results from a complexinteraction between severalsystems in the body.

The brain, the sense ofhearing, the lungs, larynx,vocal tract, and tongue all worktogether to produce the soundsof the English language.

Understanding the processand anatomy of speech can

assist teachers in teachingELL learners.(Voice Foundation, 2006)


3/43

Anatomy of the Voice System(Voice Foundation, 2006)


4/43

Voicing

Sounds are classifiedon the basis of theirvoicing.

Voicing is producedwhen the larynxmuscles vibrate.

The larynx muscles

form the vocal bands. This is a picture of a

normal larynx.(Voice Foundation, 2006)


5/43

Voicing contiuned

Sounds can be voiced orvoiceless.

Voiced sounds requirevibration of the musclesin the larynx that form thevocal bands.

The space between thesebands is called theglottis.

This photo shows theglottis during normalbreathing periods.(Voice Foundation, 2006)


6/43

Voicing Continued..

The glottis is closed

when the vocal bands are

brought together.

This is called adducted. This action blocks the

breath stream that builds

up below and causes the

bands to vibrate

repeatedly.(Edwards, 2003)

Graphic: (Voice Foundation, 2006)


7/43

Voicing continued..

This graphic shows what

the vocal bands look like

when they are open, or

abducted. The bands move together

like stiff rubber bands to

restrict and adjust airflow

for forming speech

sounds.(Voice Foundation, 2006)


8/43

Vowels and Voicing

Vibratory cycles arenecessary for the vowelsand voiced consonants.

When the glottis is

partially closed, it willproduce sounds such as/h/.

All the vowels are voicedexcept for voicelessvowels in whisperedspeech.

(Edwards, 2003)


9/43

Physiology of Speech

Diagram of Vocal Fold Vibration

1 Column of air pressure movesupward towards vocal folds in "closed"position2, 3 Column of air pressure opensbottom of vibrating layers of vocalfolds; body of vocal folds stays in

place 4, 5 Column of air pressure continues

to move upward, now towards the topof vocal folds, and opens the top

610 The low pressure created behindthe fast-moving air column produces aBernoulli effect which causes thebottom to close, followed by the top

10 Closure of the vocal folds cuts offthe air column and releases a pulse ofair

(voicefoundation.org, 2006)


10/43

Consonants and Voicing

Consonants are made up of many pairs of sounds calledcognates.

We tell them apart primarily by their voicing.

For example, the pairs s/z, p/b, and t/d.

The first sound is voiceless, the second is voiced.

As a rule, the voiceless member of the pair will beproduced with more muscle tension, more airflow, and ashorter sound duration than the second member.

(Edwards, 2003)


11/43

The Spoken Word

The spoken word results from three

components of voice production: voiced

sound, resonance, and articulation.

Voiced sound is the basic sound produced

by vocal fold vibrations.

Often referred to as a buzzy sound.

(voiceproblem.org, 2004)


12/43

Place ofArticulation

A place of articulation is apoint of contact forproducing a speechsound. It is the vocal

configuration necessaryfor the production ofsounds.

There are many places ofarticulation as indicated

on the left.

(Voice Foundation, 2006)


13/43

Description ofPlaces ofArticulation

1,2: Labial Sounds areproduced here.

3: Inderdental

4: Dental sounds

5,6: Alveolar sounds

7, 8: Palatal sounds, Velarsounds

9: Uvular sounds

10: Pharyngeal sounds

11-14: Glottal sounds

15: Interdental sounds 16-18: Labiodental sounds

(Edwards, 2003)

Graphic: Voice Foundation,2006)


14/43

Articulation and Sound Production

With articulation, vowels typically have

nine basic positions determined by the

placement of the tongue.

Consonants are organized much the same

way, using the lips more than the vowels

do.

(Edwards, 2003)


15/43

LABIAL sounds: Produced by one or both lips. They breakdown into bilabial (both lips) sounds and labiodentals(lower lip touches upper teeth).

Labial sounds can be produced by one or both lips.

Labial sounds are /p/, /b/, /f/, /v/, /m/, and /w/.

When both lips are used it is called a bilabial sound.

Examples of bilabial sounds are the /p/ and /b/ sounds.

Examples of bilabial words are mama and papa

When the lower lip hits the upper teeth, the sound is alabiodental sound. For example, the sound /v/. (Edwards, 2003)


16/43


DENTAL sounds: When the tongue

contacts the teeth, for example: // and //

A

LEVEOLAR

S: These sounds occur whenthe tongue contacts the upper area behind

the teeth. Examples include: /r/,/t/,and /l/.(Edwards, 2003)


17/43


PALATALS: For these sounds, the tongue must

touch some part of the roof of the mouth. These

sounds are also broken down into various

groups depending upon the placement of thetongue on the palate. Some examples of this

sound are: //, //, //.

VELLARS: These sounds are produced when

the tongue touches the soft palate (/k/,/g/).(Edwards, 2003)


18/43


And, last, but not least

GLOTTALS: The only sound of this kind inAmerican English is the /h/ sound made by

narrowing the glottis by partially opening

the vocal folds to produce some friction.

(Edwards, 2003)


19/43

The manner of articulation describes how the tongue, lips, andother speech organs are involved in making a sound make

contact. Manner is often used in describing the production ofconsonants. (Manner of Articulation, 2006) As indicated lateron during the presentation, there are many manners ofarticulation.

(www.umanitoba.ca)

This controls the flow of air and produces the sounds we hear.(Edwards,2003) Once the articulators (tongue, lips, etc.) are in place, they

behave in particular ways.


20/43

Manner ofArticulation and the

Tongue

The tongue plays an

important role in the

manner of articulationand production of speech

sounds.

The type of sound and

articulation is determined

by the placement andcontact of the tongue in

the mouth.(Voice Foundation, 2006)


21/43

Placement of the Tongue and

Sound Production (Edwards, 2003)

The tongue can touchthe teeth producing adentalized sound.

The tongue can touchthe area behind theupper teeth producingan alveolar sound.(/t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /n/, /l//r/, etc.)

The tongue can touch the

roof of the mouth (hard

palate).

producing a palatalsound. Some productions

of /r/ are palatal.

For sounds such as /k/,

and /g/, the tongue

touches the soft palateand are called Velar

sounds.


22/43

Various Manners ofArticulation

In Phonetics, articulation may be dividedinto two large classes, obstruents andsonorants. The following slides will

describe these and other various mannersof articulation. Again, manner ofarticulation refers to howthe sound isproduced. There are many manners of

articulation.


23/43

Obstruents

Obstruents consonants are characterized

by an obstructed vocal tract, either

complete or partial. All of the consonants

except the sonorants are obstruents. To

understand obstruent sounds better,

compare the labial /b/ and/w/. The /b/

sound is a sound that completely blocksthe vocal tract while the /w/ sound does

not. (Edwards, 2003)


24/43

Sonorants

When a sonorant sound is produced, thechannels through which air passes arerelatively open.

The sonorant sounds are:

/m/, /n/, /l/, /r/, /w/, and /j/

Sonorant sounds are produced without

much extra effort on the part of thespeaker.(Edwards, 2003)


25/43

Nasals, Stridents, and Stops

Nasal sounds are produced when sonorantsounds are made as the passageway into thenasal cavity is opened by the lowering of the softpalate. Examples would be /m/ and /n/.

Stridentsounds are made by directing theairflow against a surface such as the teeth,producing considerable friction. Examples wouldbe /f/, /v/, and /s/.

Stops are obstruent sounds made by thecomplete stoppage of airflow through the vocaltract. Examples would be /b/, /t/, and /g/.(Edwards, 2003)


26/43

Approximants

Approximants are termed much the same waysonorants are.

With approximants, the articulators approacheach other, but not to the extent that turbulenceis produced.

If the articulators are required to be completelyclosed, then the sound (such as the nasalsounds), are not approximants. Even though

they are resonated through the nose. The approximant sounds are: /l/, /r/, /w/, and /j/.

(Edwards, 2003)


27/43

Fricatives and Affricatives

Fricativesare obstruent sounds produced from

a partial blockage of the breath stream. This

partial blockage results in friction or turbulence

during the sound production. Examples offricative sounds are: /h/, /s/, and /z/.

Affricatives are sounds that begin as a stop,

then are released as a fricative. When this

happens, the sound released is termed anaffricative. (Edwards, 2003)


28/43

Sibilants

Sibilants are often referred to as the

hushing or hissing sounds. The are

characterized by relatively high frequency

noise.

Examples of sibilant sounds are: /s/, and

/z/.


29/43

Laterals and Liquids

LATERALS: In American

English, there exists a

sole lateral consonant

produced with lateral

airflow around one or

both sides of the tongue.

The /l/ is also

characterized as a lateral

approximant.(Edwards, 2003)

LIQUIDS: These sounds

are produced with little to

no friction. Laterals and

liquids share many

commonalities. Often

they are treated as the

same class of sound

production. In American

English, the sounds /r/,and /l/ are considered

liquid sounds.


30/43

Glides

When a consonant is rapidly transitioned

to a following vowel, the sound is a glide.

When the sound is produced from a

transition between a consonant and a

preceding vowel, it is termed an off glide.

The common glides forAmerican English

are: /l/ and /r/.

(Edwards, 2003)


31/43

Phonetic Features Not

Distinguishing Phonemes

To review, a phoneme is another name for aspeech sound.

Speech sounds are most often divided into the

categories of vowels and consonants. Vowels are produced when the vocal tract is

basically unobstructed.

Consonants are produced when the vocal tract

has some degree of obstruction of air flow.(Voice Foundation, 2006)


32/43

Exceptions to the Rule of

Classifying Speech Sounds

According to Harold Edwards, sometimes

phoneticians need to add features to the

specification of a particular phoneme to

demonstrate a sounds change that occurs

in a particular context.

Sometimes in American English,

consonant sounds can also be used asvowel sounds. (Such as the /y/ sound.)(Edwards, 2003)


33/43

Phonetic Features: Syllabic/Nonsyllabic and

Aspiration/Nonaspiraton

Other phonetic features that do not distinguish phonemes could bedesignated as Syllabic/Nonsyllabic. For example the /l/ in bottle serves asa vowel like consonant in the words. Even though the word has twosyllables, you do not hear a vowel in the second syllable, which isunstressed.

Two other features would be Aspiration/Nonaspiration.Aspiration would

help describe the voiceless stops in American English. During aspiration, astrong burst of air accompanies either the release or the closure of outwardairflow. For example the /p/ sound changes in the word pot, and in the wordspot. The first is aspirated, but in combination with other consonants, thesecond is nonaspirated.

To see the difference in aspirated and nonaspirated sounds, hold your handin front of your mouth and say the word, tore. With the hand remaining in

front of the mouth, now say the word, store. You should feel a puff of airwith the word tore that you do not feel with the word store. The wordtore carried within it an aspirated sound. The /t/ sound should be theaspirated sound.

(Edwards, 2003)


34/43

Stress/Nonstress

Another feature of phonetic features that do not distinguishphonemes would be Stress/Nonstress.Forexample, saytheword record withthestresssoundinthebeginningoftheword, andyou maybeidentifying anobjectthatharbors music.Saytheword recordwiththestress attheendoftheword,andyou arereferringtotapingsomethingthatisspokenorheard.

These ways help distinguish vowels in syllables of their typicalemphasis (stress) from vowels in other contexts (nonstress)

Stress/Nonstress features are useful in helping to distinguish vowelsin syllables of Stress (primary emphasis) from vowels in othercontexts labeled Nonstress.(Edwards, 2003)


35/43

Summary

Sound characteristics and classifications

are numerous and diverse. Phoneticians

continue to classify sounds today.

Basically, sounds are classified in broad

categories and are then narrowed into

smaller categories. They are refined and

distinctive in their properties.


36/43

For The ELL Teacher

Learning about speechsounds and their specificfeatures can assist ELLteachers in recognizingproblems that may occurbecause of basicanatomy, soundmispronunciation, andtongue placement in thestudent. This can help

the teacher remedy theproblem or seekadditional intervention forthe student.


37/43

For The Teacher continued

Understanding at least the general

characteristics of speech and their

developmental stages will also assist

teachers in individualizing curriculum and

seeking out additional resources for ELL

students.


38/43

Why Should Teachers of ELL Students

Have a Basic Knowledge ofPhonetics?

Most teachers in the everyday classroom canand shouldunderstand the basics ofPhonetics.Not only for speech therapy purposes, but for

use in assisting all students in gainingproficiency in the English language. As I havetaught ELL students, the research I have learnedabout basic phonetics has helped me in avariety of ways in an everyday classroom

setting. The following slides will describe what Ihave learned about the importance of basicphonetics for teachers.


39/43

Communication

Language is the basic building block for

communication. Differences in sound

systems have a phonological basis: they

depend upon speech organ positions and

breath control. Understanding basic

phonetics will help teachers understand

the physical aspects of speech production.


40/43

Social Acceptance

A major challenge for ELL learners is fitting in to a traditional English

classroom, especially if the student is older. To make this

adjustment easier, the teacher can assure the student that they are

producing sounds that are aesthetically pleasing to those around

him/her and are understood by native English speakers.


41/43

Bad Habits.Never Started?

It may be possible for teachers to prevent bad speech

habits from forming in ELL students. If teachers can

understand the correct sound pronunciation, students can

learn this. Understanding this, the student and teacher canwork to avoid sound errors getting in the way of other

targets, such as easily producing words, using words correctly,

and gaining speech confidence.


42/43

Effects of Speech on Students

ELL students in particular maybe sensitive to producing newsounds.

ELL students may do twice asmuch listening as speaking,

and learning the flow of naturalspeech will assist in theirlanguage development.

Speaking is a key element incommunication and givesstudents the skills and

confidence needed to succeedin a classroom and in theireveryday lives.


43/43

References

Manner of articulation. (2006). Retrieved February 20, 2007, from Answers.com

http://www.answers.com/topic/manner-of-articulation

Russell, K. (2006). Phonetics-English Consonants. Retrieved February 19, 2007 from

http://www.umanitoba.ca/linguistics/russels/phonetics/index.html

Voiceproblem.org. (2004). Understanding How Voice is Produced. Retrieved February

19, 2007 from http://www.voiceproblem.org/anatomy/understanding.asp

Edwards, H. T. (2003).Applied phonetics: The sounds of American English. Clifton Park,

New York: Delmar Learning.

Voice foundation. (2006). Retrieved February 20, 2007, from The Voice Foundation Web

site: http://www.voicefoundation.org

basic phonetics for teachers 29816

Documents