Phonetics

Dr. Teeraporn Plailek

Faculty of Education, Suansunandha Rajabhat University
 Phonetics is the study of how speech
sounds – both consonants and vowels,
and other phonetic features such as
stress and intonation – are produced
and what their properties are.
 the sounds that
Phonetics studies are used in the
world’s languages.

It aims to examine
- each individual sound
- its properties and
differences from
the other sounds.
 Phonetics

Articulatory Auditory
phonetics Acoustic phonetics
phonetics

Production of Transmission of Perception

speech sounds speech sounds of speech sounds
through the air
Phonetics features
consonants

Airstream Pulmonic airstream

mechanism mechanism

The state of Sounds which are made

voiced
with vocal folds vibration
the glottis

Sounds made without

voiceless
Place of vocal folds vibration
articulation

Manner of
articulation
 The English Consonants

There are 3 aspects of articulatory properties

2. Place of
1. Voicing articulation 3. Manner of
articulation
Places of Articulation
Phonetic alphabet
• The same sound -- different letter
• /i/ = we, tea, amoeba, Caesar

• The same letter -- different sound

• a = /a:/ hard /hɑːd/ (BrE), /hɑːrd/ (AmE)
/ɒ/ want /wɒnt/ (BrE), /wɑːnt/(AmE)
/e/ many /ˈmeni/ (BrE), (AmE)
/æ/ ant /ænt/ (BrE), (AmE)
Phonetic alphabet
• A single sound -- a combination of letters
• /ʃ/ = shirt /ʃɜːt/ (BrE), /ʃɜːrt/(AmE)
• /f/ = photo /ˈfəʊtəʊ/ (BrE), /ˈfoʊtoʊ/ (AmE)
• /u:/ = root /ruːt/ (BrE), (AmE)

• A single letter – more than one sound

• box /bɒks/ (BrE), /bɑːks/ (AmE)
Phonetic alphabet
• A letter does not represent any sound (silent letter)
• knight /naɪt/ (BrE), (AmE)
• write /raɪt/ (BrE), (AmE)
• debt /det/ (BrE), (AmE)

• No letter to represent /j/ sound in use /ju:z/ and

fume /fjuːm/
 The English Consonants Chart

Bilabial Labio- Dental Alveolar Post- Palatal Velar Glottal

dental alveolar

Plosive p b t d k g

Nasal m n ŋ

Fricative f v Ө ð s z ʃ ʒ h

Affricate tʃ dʒ

Lateral l

Tap or Flap

Approximant (w) ɹ j w
 Place of Articulation

Postalveolar
The tip or blade of the
tongue approaches or
touches the back part
of the alveolar ridge
as in the sound [ ʃ ], [ʒ],
[tʃ], [dʒ]
 Place of Articulation

Palatal
The front of the
tongue approaches or
touches the hard palate
as in the sound [j]
Manners of Articulation
 Plosive Nasal

Trill Fricative

Manners of Articulation

Tap or Flap Affricate

Lateral Approximant
 The English Consonants Chart

Bilabial Labio- Dental Alveolar Post- Palatal Velar Glottal

dental alveolar

Plosive p b t d k g

Nasal m n ŋ

Fricative f v Ө ð s z ʃ ʒ h

Affricate tʃ dʒ

Lateral l

Tap or Flap

Approximant (w) ɹ j w
 Plosive
Sounds are produced by blocking the
airstream completely and then released it
in a burst of air.
1 2

both lips - tip of the tongue

- alveolar ridge

- back of the tongue

- velum
 Aspirated & Unaspirated
➢ Aspirated is characteristic of voiceless stops consonants
pronounced with the initial release of breath.

• English /p/, /t/, /k/ pie, tie, kind

• Thai /ph/, /th/, /kh/ พา, ทา, คา

➢ Unaspirated is characteristic of voiceless stops consonants

which doesn’t pronounced with the initial release of breath.

• English /p/, /t/, /k/ speak, star, sky

• Thai /p/, /t/, /k/ ปา, ตา, กา
 Nasal
Sounds are produced by blocking the airstream
completely and then released it in a burst of air.
The soft palate can be lowered, allowing air to flow
out through the nasal cavity.

Oral Nasal
articulation articulation
 2
1
- tip of the tongue
both lips - alveolar ridge

3
- back of the tongue
- velum
 Fricative
The active articulator doesn’t touch
the passive articulator, but gets close
enough that the airflow is gradually
released through the mouth.
1 2

- lower lip - tip of the

- upper teeth
tongue
- alveolar
ridge

- blade of the
tongue
 Affricates

Affricates have a combination of

a plosive (blocking the airstream completely)
+
a fricative (gradually released the air flow
through the mouth)

- blade of the tongue

- rear part of alveolar ridge
 Approximant

The articulators approaches each other, but

doesn’t even get close enough for the airflow to
become turbulent.

- both lips / back of the tongue

w - soft palate (velum) r
- tip of the tongue
- alveolar ridge
- front of the tongue
j - Hard palate
 Lateral

The active articulator touches the passive

articulator and have the air go out of the mouth
both side of the tongue.

- tip of the tongue

l - alveolar ridge
 Tap / flap
A tap or flap is a quick motion of the
tongue against the alveolar ridge one brief
interruption of airflow.
 Trill
The airstream is interrupted several times
as one of the organs of speech (usually the tip
of the tongue).