Fonetyka i Fonologia – 27.11.

2020; Lecture 1

English Phonectics and Phonology

1. What is language?
→ Heterogeneous

Language is a system, because we can find dirrefent substructures and levels. English language is heterogeneous
[heterogeniczny, różnorodny] system. For example: good morning- several things are talking place in the same time.
First one, consists of letters (g-o-o-d m-o-r-n-i-n-g), just graphic representation, alphabet. Second one, when
speaking, we deal with sounds. Letters when pronounced become speech. Letters are put in order. (g-o-o-d not o-d-
o-g). This structure (putting sounds in correct order) belongs to another level of language that is called Morphology.
Morphology is also determining something singular or plural. Another level of language is called Pragmatics. Other
one is Semantics. Other is Linguistic System. Each word consists of different levels.

→ Immediate actuality of thoughts.

Language can be told and written. Oral form (speech) is manifested through phonic substance (and heard). Written
form is a graphic substance (and read). Spoken language encodes [koduje] thought into a physically transmittable
form. Writing encodes spoken language into a physically preservable [przystępna] form.

→ The most important means of human intercourse [kontakty].”

2. Speech is primary and writing is secondary. There are 4 types of priority.

• Historical

Speech is older than writing. There is no human society known to exist or to have existed without the capacity of
speech. No society uses only written language with no spoken language. Writing must be taught (for example by
parents)

• Functional

Wide range of purposes than writing.

• Biological

Speech organs serve biologically more basic functions than of producing vocal signals.

• Structural

In one-to-one corespondance paticular letters will stand with particular sounds. Not all combinations of letters are
aceeptable, not all combinations of sounds are acceptable. Structurally, speech is much more complicated than
writing. We may say that inventory of graphic symbols is limited. The inventory of spoken, oral signals is unlimited.
When you spell you name the letters. When you pronounce you articulate the sounds.
 Phonetics vs other branches
1st level of division of the interpretations refers to 3 basic structures. First is articulatory phonetics. Second is
acoustic phonetics and tha last one is auditory (perceptual) phonetics.

Articulatory phonetics is interested in the way that sounds are produced. The mechanisms which accompany the
production of sounds. What is the source of our voice? What is the mechanism of producing articulate sounds,
words, phrases? Articulatory phonetics deals with articulation. The way that sounds and speech is produced.

The next process is sending the message from the speaker’s mouth to the listener’s ears. What processes take place
in that? How is speech manifested? It’s manifested by acoustic phonetics. It has it’s, for instance, intensivity.
Acoustic phonetics deals with acoustic processes that take place between between the speakers mpouth and the
listeners ears.

The last element, auditory phonetics, is when the speaker tells something and it reaches listener’s ears. How the
speech is heard? How it is received? How it is translated? It’s all about auditory phonetics. It’s interested in auditory
mechanism, how speech is received. Which organs take part in understaning and how it is understood.

2nd level of division is about descriptive phonetics and prescriptive (normative) phonetics

Descriptive phonetics are typical for particular language. What is happening in pronunciation? For example in the
english and russian language. Whereas prescriptive (normative) phonetics shows and defines the rules according to
which we should pronounce

3rd level of the division deals with phonetics and with phonology.

Phonetics deals with speech. Phonologists are not interested what happens in out ear. Phonologists are interested
in meaning of sounds. How sounds are structured and how they function to convey meaning.

4th level of division

Historical phonetics investigates the processes that in the years have changed. For example the meanings of sounds.

▫ Special
▫ Historical
▫ General
▫ Theoretical
▫ Comparative
▫ Practical (applied)

5th level of divistion is about segmental phonetics and suprasegmental (prosody) phonetics

Segmental phonetics is about articulation etc. Of segments, for example vowels. Suprasegmental phonetics is about
the tempo or pauses in what we are saying. If voice should raise or fall. Without that the language will be
monotonous and boring.

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Ambiguity of term:

→ Phonetics = pronunciation
→ Phonetics – the study and science of speech sounds