consonants: articulation and transcription -...

Introduction to General Linguistics WS 2004/05Course author: Hubert Truckenbrodt Course teacher: Arnim von Stechow

p 1 Handout January 20 2005 Intro Ling

Phonology 1: Handout January 20, 2005

Consonants: articulation and transcription

1 Orientation

phonetics [G. Phonetik]: the study of the physical and physiological aspects of human soundproduction and perception; generally divided into articulatory, acoustic, and auditorybranches.

articulatory phonetics [G. artikulatorische Phonetik]: the study of how the speechsounds are made ('articulated') by the vocal organs.

acoustic phonetics [G. akustische Phonetik]: the study of the physical properties ofspeech sound, as transmitted between mouth and ear; usually conducted with the helpof computer programs that analyze speech recordings and visualize their properties.

auditory phonetics, also perceptual phonetics [G. auditive Phonetik]: the study of theperceptual responses to speech sounds, as mediated by ear, auditory nerve, and brain.

From:Denes/Pinson:"The speechchain.", p.5.

phonology [G. Phonologie]: the study of the sound systems of languages, and of the generalor universal properties displayed by these systems.

consonant [G. Konsonant]: speech sound produced with a significant constriction of theairflow in the oral tract. Examples: [p, f, m]

vowel [G. Vokal]: speech sound produced without a significant constriction of the airflow inthe oral cavity. Examples: [a, o, i]

transcription [G. Lautschrift, Transkription, phonetische Umschrift]: A method of writingdown the pronunciation of a speech sound, word or utterance in a systematic andconsistent way. Example: [ k] for (orthographic) 'think'

2 The vocal tract



vocal tract [G. Ansatzrohr, Vokaltrakt]: the whole of the air passage above the larynx; it canbe divided into nasal tract (the air passage above the soft palate, within the nose),and oral tract (the mouth and pharyngeal areas).

From:Denes/Pinson: "The speechchain.", p.49

larynx [G. Kehlkopf, Larynx]: part of the human anatomy on top of the trachea [G.Luftröhre]; the larynx is most noticeable in the adult male neck, where it 'sticks out' aswhat is known as the Adam's apple [G. Adamsapfel]. The main non-speech functionof the larynx is to close off the trachea and the lungs in the process of swallowingfood. The speech-functions of the larynx are taken on by the vocal cords (see separatedefinition), which are inside of the larynx. These functions include the production ofthe voicing of sounds, and the production of [h] and of the glottal stop [ ].

pharynx [G. Rachenraum, Pharynx]: the tubular cavity which constitutes the throat abovethe larynx. [G. Der schlauchförmige Hohlraum, der den Rachen oberhalb desKehlkopfes ausmacht.]

trachea [G. Luftröhre]: 'pipe' that connects the lungs and the larynx;esophagus [G. Speiseröhre]: 'pipe' upward from the stomach;palate: [G. Gaumen]cartilage: [G. Knorpel]Terminology: tracts and cavities



vocal tract 5

oral tract nasal tract 4 |

oral cavity pharyngeal cavity nasal cavity(mouth area) (pharynx, up to X) (inside nose, upward from X)

X: point of contact between soft palate and back wall of pharynx.

non-linguistic lexicon

cavity: (a) hollow or empty space [G. Hohlraum] (b) hole or bad part of a tooth [G. Loch im Zahn]

3 The articulation of [t, n, s, z]: the role of the velum and the larynx

From:Denes/Pinson:"Thespeechchain.",p.59, 65

place of articulation of [t, n, s, z]: the front part of the tongue (corona) makes a constrictionat the alveolar ridge [G. Zahndamm].

manner of articulation and voicing of [t, n, s, z]:

oral airflowallowed atalveolar ridge

velum allowsnasal airflow

=> EFFECT vocal cordsin larynx

[t] no (stop) no (oral) airflow stopped in mouthand nose; pressure build-up until [t] is released

do not vibrate(voiceless)

[n] no (stop) yes (nasal) air comes out of nose;no airflow through mouth

vibrate(voiced)

[s] yes, with force;(fricative)

no (oral) do not vibrate(voiceless)

[z] yes, with force;(fricative)

no (oral)

air is pressed throughnarrow constriction atalveolar ridge; -> noise vibrate

(voiced)



4 Places of articulation From: Ladefoged/Maddieson: The sounds of the world's languages, p.12f

Activearticulator ->

lower lip tip/blade of the tongue (corona) body oftongue(dorsum)

Passivearticulator ->

upperlip

upper teeth alveolarridge

palato-alveolarregion

hardpalate

softpalate(velum)

Names of thesounds ->

bilabial labio-dental

dental alveolar palato-alveolar

palatal velar

p t kplosives(oral stops) b d

fricatives f s x

v z

nasals m n

place of articulation:example [p]: it is formed by moving the (active articulator) lower lip to the (passivearticulator) upper lip. Likewise for the other sounds that are shown.

manner of articulation:plosives: [like [t] above]: the oral closure at the place of articulation is complete;

the velum is raised to close off nasal airflow;-> complete obstruction of airflow, pressure build-up, release

fricatives: [like [s, z] above]: the oral closure at the place of articulation is incomplete;the velum is raised to close off nasal airflow;-> air is pressed through the incomplete closure at the place of articulation

nasals: [like [n] above]: the oral closure at the place of articulation is complete;the velum is not raised, so nasal airflow is allowed-> air flows freely through the nasal cavity.

voicing: a voiced stop or fricative is shown below its voiceless counterpart

terminology in the table: for example, [p] is a voiceless bilabial plosive



5 Additional consonants of English and/or German

affricates: [pf], [ts], [t ], [d ]

Affricates consist of two parts at the same place of articulation. (The second part of theirtranscription reflects the place of articulation of the entire affricate). There is neverthelessevidence that these are single sounds (though will not get to it in this class).The manner of articulation of the stop part is as for stops, and the manner of articulation of thefricative part is as for fricatives. There are voiced and voiceless affricates.

liquids: [l, r]:

• [l] is a voiced lateral sound. It is articulated with the tip of the tongue at the alveolar ridge, butone or both sides of the tongue let the air pass through on the side. The opening is fairly wide, sothere is no fricative noise. [l] is not a fricative, therefore.

• [r] is a voiced rhotic sound. If you take 'Intro to phonetics and phonology', you will learn thatdifferent [r]-sounds (rhotics) can be distinguished, and that English and German, as well asdifferent German dialects, use different [r] sounds, which are also transcribed differently. Here,however, we will simplify a bit, and use [r] for both English and German.

glottal sounds: [h, ]

Only the vocal cords are involved in the production of [h] and [ ]. Airflow is usually allowedthrough the oral tract; however, the position of the articulators in the oral tract is irrelevant, andwhether the velum is raised or not is also irrelevant.

• [h] is produced by spreading apart the vocal cords.• [ ] is produced by a closure and following opening of the vocal cords.

examples: English: [ ]o-[ ]oh

German: [ ]Oma, [ ]Arbeit, Be[ ]ate, Beatrice, The[ ]ater, theatralisch,

vocal cords, also vocal folds [G. Stimmbänder]: two muscular folds inside of the larynx. Theyare attached to particular cartilages [G. Knorpel] of the larynx, and can be positioned, andcan also be made stiff or slack. When they vibrate, they produce what we call voicing. Inthat case, they are held together, and are slack. The air pushing through them from thelungs sets them in vibration.

glottis [G. Glottis]: the area between the two vocal cords.

From: Péturson/Neppert:Elementarbuch der Phonetik,S.73f

Left: glottis during voicelesssounds.Right: glottis during voicing.



6 Important classes of consonants

Obstruents [produced with a build-up of air-pressure in the oral cavity; often 2 variants:• plosives (oral stops) [p, b, ...] voiced and voiceless]• fricatives [f, v, ...]• affricates [pf, t , ...]

Sonorants [produced with no build-up of air pressure in the oral cavity; normally voiced]• nasals (nasal stops) [m, n, ]• liquids [l, r]

also sonorant are:• glides [j, w] (see next session)• vowels [a, e, ...] (see next session)

Consonants of English, not found in German: [ , ]; rare in German: [d ]

Consonants of German, not found in English: [ , x, pf, ts]

Problem set, due Jan. 25, 2005, at the usual times/places

1. For each of the following sounds, specify the active and the passive articulator:[k], [m], [d], [ ], [x], [ ]

2. For each of the following sounds, describe the manner of articulation (this does not includevoicing): Is the velum raised or not? Is the oral constriction complete? Is there airflow through themouth or through the nose or does the airflow completely stop for a short time?

[k], [m], [x]

3. a. For each of the following sounds, write down whether they are voiced or voiceless.[g], [m], [n], [ ], [ ], [s], [z], [x], [ ]

b. What happens during voicing in the larynx? (1 sentence is enough, if it is correct.)

4. Name the following sounds:Example: [d] is a voiced alveolar plosive.Now you: [s], [t ], [g], [l], [n]

5. Transcribe the consonants in the pronunciation (not spelling!) of the following English words(you may write '_' for where a vowel is pronounced; look up the pronunciation in a dictionary ifyou are not sure; however, you must use the transcription symbols we are using here, in case yourdictionary uses different ones):

Example: sing [s_ ]Now you: knife, king, judge, chocolate, psychology

Suggested Reading: Ladefoged, Peter. 2001. A Course in Phonetics: Thomson Learning. AustraliaCanada Mexico Singapore Spain United Kingdom United States: Heinle & Heinle, chapt. 1 – 3.

consonants: articulation and transcription -...

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