sounds

Teaching the Elements of

LanguageA. SOUNDS (Phonology)

Aileen Pacayra

is "the study of sound pertaining to the system of language”.

is "the study of sound pertaining to the act of speech." (Nikolai Trubetzkoy

in Grundzüge der Phonologie )The ways in which languages use sounds

or signs to construct meaning are studied in phonology.

The study of how humans produce and perceive vocal sounds is called phonetics.

(Wikipedia)

The Family of Consonant Sounds Consonant sounds can be classified

according to three dimensions:1.voicing (voiceless or voiced)2.the place of articulation(where

the sound is made)3.the manner of articulation (how

the sound is made)

Voicing A sound is voiced if the

vocal chords vibrate, whereas a sound is voiceless if the vocal cords are not vibrating upon the production of sounds.

Place or Point of Articulation1.Bilabial- two lips touching each other

2.Labio dental- lower lip touches the upper teeth

3.Dental- tip of the tongue and the inner edge of the upper teeth

4.Alveolar- tip of the tongue and hard palate

5. Palatal- the tongue and hard palate6. Velar- dorsal tongue and soft palate7. Glottal- throat passage

Manner of Articulation1. Stops/Plosives- These are the sounds produced when the air stream is blocked completely before it is abruptly released. The sounds P,T,K,B,D,G, are the members of this family.

2. Fricatives- These are the sounds produced when the air stream is compressed and passes through a small opening creating friction. The sounds

F,V,S,Z,TH (voiced) and (voiceless), SH, ZH are members of this group.3. Affricates- These are the sounds produced when a plosive is followed by a fricative. CH and J are the members of this group4. Nasals- These are the sounds produced when the oral cavity is blocked, and so the air passes through the nose. N, M and NG are nasal sounds.

5. Liquid/Lateral- Sounds are produced when air stream moves around the tongue in an obstructed manner. Sounds like L and R are examples.6. Glides- Sounds that are close to vowel sounds. Sounds like W and Y.

Vowel

Vowel sounds are produced with one’s mouth open. It is also a fact that all vowel sounds are voiced sounds. Vowel sounds can be classified according to the height of the tongue and jaw, and the way the mouth opens.

What You Need to Know for Vowels

• FRONT/CENTRAL/BACK: These three refers to the position of the tongue from front to back of the mouth during the production of the sound.

• HIGH/MID/LOW: This designation refers to whether the lips are rounded (O shape) or spread (no rounding) when the sound is being made.

•TENSE VS. LAX: Also important in describing vowel sounds are the designations TENSE and LAX, which refer to the relative tenseness of the vocal muscles.

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

• In order to represent the sounds of the world's languages in writing, linguists have developed the International Phonetic Alphabet, designed to represent all of the discrete sounds that are known to contribute to meaning in human languages.

Voiced Consonant Sounds

IPA symbol Sound IPA symbol Sound

/b/ b /ŋ/ ng

/d/ d /l/ l

/ð/ th /r/ r

/g/ g /w/ w

/z/ z /j/ y

/ʒ/ zh

/dʒ/ j

/v/ v

/m/ m

/n/ n

Voiceless Consonant Sounds

IPA symbol Sound

/s/ s

/ʃ/ sh

/θ/ th

/f/ f

/h/ h

/tʃ/ ch

/k/ k

/t/ t

/p/ p

Short Vowels Schwa Sounds

IPA symbol Sound IPA symbol Sound

/I/ short i /ə/ unstressed syllable

/3/ eh /ɚ/ er

/æ/ ae

/ɑ/ ah

/ɔ/ oh/”awe”

/ʊ/ uh

/ʌ/ stressed syllable

Long Vowel Sounds Diphthongs

IPA symbol

Sound IPA symbol

Sound

/i/ long i /aʊ/ aw

/u/ ooh /aɪ/ ay

/ɔɪ/ oy

/oʊ/ ow

/eɪ/ ey

Activities

Consonant sound

IPA Voicing Place of Articulation

Manner of Articulation

s

sh

th

th

ch

zh

j

ng

y

t

Consonant sound

IPA Voicing Place of Articulation

Manner of Articulation

s s Voiceless Alveolar Fricative

sh ʃ Voiceless Palatal Fricative

th θ Voiceless Dental Fricative

th ð Voiced Dental Fricative

ch tʃ Voiceless Palatal affricative

zh ʒ Voiced Palatal Fricative

j dʒ Voiced Palatal Affricative

ng ŋ Voiced Velar Nasal

y j Voiced Palatal Glides

t t Voiceless Alveolar Stops

Vowel Sound IPA Placement of the tongue from roof to floor of the mouth

Position of the tongue from front to back of the mouth

Tenseness of the vocal muscles

Lip rounding

1.short e

2.eh

3.aah

4.ah

5.oh

6.ey

7.voiced schwa8.unvoiced schwa9.long e

10.ooh

Vowel Sound IPA Placement of the tongue from roof to floor of the mouth

Position of the tongue from front to back of the mouth

Tenseness of the vocal muscles

Lip rounding

1.short e I High Front Lax Unrounded

2.eh ɛ Mid Front Lax Unrounded

3.aah æ Low Front Lax Unrounded

4.ah ɑ Low Back Lax Unrounded

5.oh ɔ Mid Back Lax Rounded

6.ey e Mid Front Tense Unrounded

7.voiced schwa

Mid Central Lax Rounded

8.unvoiced schwa

ə Mid Central Lax Rounded

9.long e i High Front Tense Unrounded

10.ooh u High Back Tense Rounded

sounds

Education

sounds page

voiced sounds

vocal sounds

vowel vowel sounds

production of sounds

nasal sounds

glides sounds

liquidlateral sounds