Phonetics and Phonology

o Notación fonética = transcripción

o Standard, se castellaniza y se escribe estándar
o RP = Received Pronunciation (inglés formal)
o Dialecto del sureste de Londres, Cockney

Verbal sounds. Three phonetic divisions:

o Articulatory. Related to the way articulate human beings. Anatomy and

physiognomy.
o Acoustic. Study of the physic of transmission of sounds. Environment
has an influence in this presence of sound. Sound waves are better
transmitted or not.
o Auditory. Related to waves are perceived for human beings. There are

sounds easier to perceive than others in a better way. It something

associated to the human hearing.

We will concentrate in articulatory phonetic.

o Active articulators: Tongue, vocal chords (or folds)

 Voiced (sonoro) = vibration
 Voiceless (sordo) = lack of vibration
o Passive:
Example:
<S> (angle brackets). This is a letter and it has different pronunciation.
Soso  O (voiced) All vowels are voiced.
 S (voiceless)

In some languages depending on the sound. For example in English is

very typical <S> as a voiced sound /easy/.
In Spanish: mus <S> voiceless/ musgo <S> voiced. In Spanish the sounds
are mainly voiceless. Sometimes is an obstruction of the sound:
Phoneme /’feuni:m/  /S/ Identical to the letter but different pronunciation.
Real pronunciation [z] [s]
voiced voiceless

Allophones in complementary distribution.-(in a sequence)

o Follow, preceded or join with a particular sound.
Allophones (in free variation). Only introduction.

Vowels pronunciation with the tongue.

Words such as bus or cut, at the beginning with letter u, then letter a.
In a typical vowel there is no contact with the tongue. Not all vowels are in
specific position.

Main movement of the tongue:

o Vertically (Upright)
o Close vowels (high)

Two Characteristics:
o Articulatory features (rasgos)
o Real pronunciation  allophones
 Short Vowel Sounds

PIT /I/  Retracted, half-close

PET /e/  Front, mid
PAT /æ/  Front, between half-open and open
PUTT /Λ/  Central, between half-open and open (Putt = golpear bola en
bolos)
POT /D/  Back, open
PUT /U/  Advanced and half-close (many times appears with double o: good,
look...)
OCCUR /∂/  Central, mid (shwa, most frequent sound in English. Never
stressed)
BID /i/  Front, between close and half-close (puja, oferta / dar, ofrecer)
BEAD /i:/ (cuenta, abalorio)

Symbols Description
/I/ Half-close, retracted spread, short.
/e/ Front, mid, spread, short
/æ/ Front, half open, spread, short.
/Λ/ Central, half-open, neutral, short.
/D/ Back, rounded, short.
/∂/ Neutral, central, mid, short.
/Ʊ/ Rounded, advance, half-close, short
 Long Vowel Sounds

Symbols Description
/3:/ Shwa, mid, central, mid, neutral, long.
/ɔ:/ Back, mid, rounded, long.
/u:/ Back, between close and half-close,
rounded, long.
/D:/ Neutral, back and open, long.
/i:/

Diphthongs (are long value)

o Back and Front-closing

o Centring (Shwa)

Triphthongs

Symbols Examples
/aI∂/ Fire
/ɔI∂/ Lawyer
/eI∂/ Payer
/∂Ʊ∂/ Lower
/aƱ∂/ Hour, Our – homophones

o i is always in finals position NEVER I but in diphthongs you use I day

/deI/.

o –ture /ʧƏ/ (british) /ʃƏ/ (american)

o You use diacritic below the consonant that is not preceded by a vowel.

o Assimilation Think /ΘIηk/ /η/ is velar because is followed by another

velar /k/.

o Lexicalization Ex. Holy day /’hƊlIdeI/ Holiday /’hƊlƏdeI/

o Homophony Ex. Son = sun (/sɅn/) or won = one (/wɅn/)

o Phoneme /a/ never is alone. Only it is in a diphthongs or triphthongs.

o Use (noun) /ju:s/ Use (verb) /ju:z/

o Try-syllabic shortening
-If the stress syllable is following by one syllable.
-If the stress syllable is following by two syllables, the stress syllable is short.
Nature /’neItʃƏ/ Natural /’nætʃƏrƏ/
Nation /’neIʃņ/ National /’neIʃņƏl/

o Stress + Unst 1 + Unst2

Unst1 drops, the same as in guapi(s(i)mo.