THE SOUNDS OF ENGLISH

AS A GENERAL RULE

SPEECH PRODUCTION MECHANISM

STAGES IN SOUND PRODUCTION

STAGES
RESPIRATION

MEANINGS
Involves inhalation and exhalation of air

ORGANS INOLVED
Lungs, trachea, diaphragm, abdominal and rib muscles

VOCALIZATION
RESONATION

Involves vibration of the vocal cords

Involves the giving of quality or timbre to the voice

Vocal cords, larynx

Oral cavity, nasal cavity, mouth, lower and upper jaws, uvula throat

ARTICULATION

Involves making of sounds intelligible or distinct from one another

Tongue, teeth, lips, alveolar ridge, hard palate, soft palate (velum), glottis

 The

brain, the sense of hearing, the lungs, larynx, vocal tract, and tongue all work together to produce the sounds of the English language.

 Sounds

can be voiced or voiceless. Voiceless-vocal folds are pulled apart; air passes directly through the glottis examples: fish, sing, house Voiced- vocal folds are brought close together; air passing through cause vibration examples: zip, vow

IPA
Association Phonetique International/International Phonetic Alphabet The goal of this system of transcription is to represent each sound of human speech with a single symbol. developing since 1888; used to ensure consistent and accurate transcription across languages These symbols are enclosed in brackets [ ]. e,g this = [], thing = []

CONSONANTS Voiceless
pen, copy, happen tea, tight, button key, clock, school thing, author, path fat, coffee, rough, photo soon, cease, sister ship, sure, national church, match, nature

Voiced
back , baby, job day, ladder, add get, giggle, ghost this, other, smooth view, heavy, move zero, music, buzz

pleasure, vision
judge, age, soldier

CONSONANTS

Nasals
more, hammer, sum nice, know, funny, sun ring, anger, thanks, sung

Lateral
light, valley, feel

Glides
wet, one, when, queen

Glottal
hot, whole, ahead

yet, use, beauty, few

VOWELS
LONG SHORT

i : sleep, sheep a: farm, warm : horse, sort : pool, boot : egg

slip, ship hat, cat

cup, up put, pull

above, about

DIPHTHONGS

eI aI I I

stay try toy fear

e a

there sure mouth nose

PLACE OF ARTICULATION

A place of articulation is a point of contact for producing a speech sound. It is the vocal configuration necessary for the production of sounds.

PLACE OF ARTICULATION

LABIAL sounds: Produced by one or both lips. They break down 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/.

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 a labiodental sound. For example, the sound /v/. (Edwards,
2003)

PLACE OF ARTICULATION
DENTAL sounds: When the tongue contacts the teeth, for example: // and // ALVEOLARS: These sounds occur when the tongue contacts the upper area behind the teeth. Examples include: /r/,/t/,and /l/.

(Edwards, 2003)

PLACE OF ARTICULATION

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 the tongue on the palate. Some examples of this sound are: //, //, //. VELARS: These sounds are produced when the tongue touches the soft palate (/k/,/g/).
(Edwards, 2003)

PLACE OF ARTICULATION

GLOTTALS: The only sound of this kind in American English is the /h/ sound made by narrowing the glottis by partially opening the vocal folds to produce some friction.

(Edwards, 2003)

MANNER OF ARTICULATION AND THE TONGUE

The tongue plays an important role in the manner of articulation and production of speech sounds. The type of sound and articulation is determined by the placement and contact of the tongue in the mouth.
(Voice Foundation, 2006)

NASALS, AND STOPS

Nasal sounds pass through the nasal cavity. Examples would be /m/ and /n/. Stops are obstruent sounds made by the complete stoppage of airflow through the vocal tract. Examples would be /b/, /t/, and /g/.
(Edwards, 2003)

FRICATIVES AND AFFRICATIVES

Fricatives are obstruent sounds produced from a partial blockage of the breath stream. This partial blockage results in friction or turbulence during the sound production. Examples of fricative 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 an affricative. Examples are /v/ and /d/ (Edwards, 2003)

LATERALS

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)

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. these are the semi-vowels The common glides for American English are: /w/ and /y/

(Edwards, 2003)

CONSONANTS

Nasals
more, hammer, sum nice, know, funny, sun ring, anger, thanks, sung

Lateral
light, valley, feel

Glides
wet, one, when, queen

Glottal
hot, whole, ahead

yet, use, beauty, few

CRITICAL VOWELS
1.

[] SCHWA
- The lips are slightly parted.

- The tongue relaxes at the bottom of the mouth with the center slightly raised toward the hard palate. - There isnt very much effort involved in production. - The sound is short. e.g. attend, data, about

2. [] - The jaw drops to a low position with the lips spread in a wide smile. - The tongue tip lightly touches the back of the lower front teeth. - Muscles of both tongue and jaw are tense. - The sound is long. e.g. add, black, gnat, cad

[a] - The jaw drops to its lowest position with the lips opened wide but neither spread nor rounded. - The tongue rests at the bottom of the mouth, the tip and sides no longer touching the upper or lower teeth. - The sound is long. e.g. odd, block, lock, hock

[] - The jaw drops to mid height with the lips unround. - The tongue tip touches the lower front teeth while the sides touch the upper biscupids very lightly. - There is no tension. - The sound is short. e.g. Ed, pen, head, men

4. [i] - The lower jaw is as close to the roof of the mouth as possible, bringing the upper and lower teeth almost together. - The lips are unround. - The sound is long. e.g. eat, seat, see, believe, receive

[I] - The jaw drops very slightly. - The front of the tongue moves a little lower and toward the back of the mouth. - The lips are unrounded. - The sound is short. e.g. it, sit, build

[u] - The sound is long. e.g. Luke, cooed, flute, ooze, shoe
6.

[U] - The sound is short e.g. look, could, bull, wolf

7. [] -The sound is long. e.g. saw, ball, ball, law, brought, broad, horse

8. [e] - The sound is long.

[ ] -The sound is short.

e.g. ate, say, sail, obey, Gael

e.g. men, bet, friend, says

VOWELS
-Vowels are produced with the placement of the tongue at different positions in the oral cavity and with the shaping of the lips.

CONSONANTS 1. [p] [f] - The vocal cords - The vocal cords do do not vibrate not vibrate. during the breath release. e.g. face, fool, full, fang e.g. pace, pool, pull, pang, pill

2. [b] - The lips close firmly but not with much pressure. - The vocal cords vibrate during the breath release. e.g. best, robe, rubber

[v] - The lower lip touches lightly the cutting edges of the upper teeth. - The vocal cords vibrate. e.g. vest, rove, very

3. [t] -The tongue tip presses against the alveolar ridge and the sides touch the bicuspids. - The vocal cords do not vibrate when the breath is released. e.g. tree, letter, sate, laughed

[] -The tongue tip is placed slightly between the teeth. -The vocal cords do not vibrate. e.g. thin, ether, path

4. [d] -The same as [t] except for the vibration of the vocal cords. e.g. den, day, doe

[] -The same as [] except for the vibration of the vocal cords. e.g. they, though, there

5. [s] [z] - The tip of the tongue -The same as [s] rises toward the except for the alveolar ridge vibration of the without touching it vocal cords. while the sides. -The vocal cords do not vibrate. e.g. zip, buzz e.g. sip, bus

6. [s] - The tip of the tongue rises toward the alveolar ridge without touching it while the sides. -The vocal cords do not vibrate. e.g. sip, bus

[ ] -The lips are pushed outward. The tip of the tongue is a little lower than for [s] but the blade is close to the back part of the alveolar ridge. -The vocal cords do not vibrate. e.g. shall, sure, issue

7. [ts] - The tip of the tongue presses against the alveolar ridge as in the initial position for [t]. - Vocal cords do not vibrate e.g. mats, pits, sports

[ ] -The tip of the tongue presses the alveolar ridge as in the initial position for [t]. - Vocal cords do not vibrate e.g. match, pitch, porch

8. [dz] - [dz] is pronounced exactly the same way as [ts]. - However, while [ts] is voiceless, [dz] is voiced: there is vibration of the vocal cords. e.g. rids, aids, weds, raids

[d] - [d] is pronounced exactly the same way as []. - However, while [] is voiceless, [d] is voiced: there is vibration of the vocal cords. e.g. ridge, age, gem

[ ] -The lips are pushed outward. The tip of the tongue is a little lower than for [s] but the blade is close to the back part of the alveolar ridge. -The vocal cords do not vibrate. e.g. shall, sure, issue

[] -The vocal cords vibrate

e.g. rouge, glazier, delusion, allusion

HINTS ON PRONUNCIATION FOR FOREIGNERS

BY GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (6 JULY 1856 2 NOVEMBER 1950)

I take it you already know of tough and bough and cough and dough. Others may stumble, but not you, On hiccough, thorough, laugh and through. Well done! And now you wish, perhaps, To learn of less familiar traps.

Beware of heard, a dreadful word That looks like beard and sounds like bird. And dead-it's said like bed, not bead. For goodness sake, don't call it deed! Watch out for meat and great and threat. They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.

A moth is not a moth in mother, Nor both in bother, broth in brother, And here is not a match for there, Nor dear and fear for pear and bear. And then there's dose and rose and lose Just look them up--and goose and choose.

And cork and work and card and ward. And font and front and word and sword. And do and go, then thwart and cart. Come, come I've hardly made a start. A dreadful language? Man alive, I'd mastered it when I was five!