PHONETICS

There are 26 letters in English and 44 speech sounds which are usually called phonemes.
The phoneme is the smallest distinctive unit of language. e.g. bitter –butter-batter-better,
these four words are distinguished from one another by the vowel sounds {I,A, ж e}.

An actually pronounced speech sound is always a variant of a phoneme, as it is always

influenced by other neighboring phonemes; this variant is called an allophone. Thus, sounds
{t} in the words “tree”, “ten”, “twenty” and “eighth” are allophones of the phonemes {t}, as
in each case the pronunciation of this sound is slightly different.

ORGANS OF SPEECH

The organs, which take part in the production of speech sounds, are called speech

organs. When we speak, air comes out through the lungs and it is interfered at

various places for the production of sounds. Sounds cannot be produced without air.

The following diagram shows the main organs of speech.

Important organs

1. Lips 5. Larynx 9. Soft palate

2. Teech 6. Vocal cords 10. Uvula

3. Alveolar ridge 7. Epiglottis 11. Hard palate

4. Tongue 8. Pharynx
 Descriptions and functions of some important organs of speech
 The vocal cords
The larynx contains two small bands of elastic tissues. They are called vocal cords. The
main function of the vocal cords is to produce voiced and voiceless sounds. The opening
between the vocal cords is called epiglottis. When we breath in or out, the glottis is open.
This is the position of the production of voiceless sounds like /p/, /t/, /k/, etc are
voiceless sounds in English. The sounds when the glottis comes together are called
voiced sounds like /b/, /d/,/g/.
 The soft palate

The soft palate is the roof of the mouth. It separates the oral and nasal cavity. The last part of
the soft palate is called uvula. When it is lowered, the nasal sounds (etc.m,n,ŋ) are produced.
When it is raised, the air passes out through the oral cavity and the oral sounds (etc.p,t,k,s)
are produced.
 The tongue

The tongue is an important organ of speech. It has the greatest variety of movement. It is
divided into four parts: the tip, the blade, the front and the back. The number of vowels is
produced with the help of the tongue. Vowels differ from each other because of the position
of the tongue.

Picture of the tongue

The tip of the tongue helps to produce /t, d, z, etc/. The blade of the tongue helps to produce /t∫,
d, ∫, etc/. The front of the tongue helps to produce palatal sound /j/ and the back of the tongue
helps to produce /k, g/ sounds.
  The lips

The upper lip and lower lip help to produce bilabial sounds /p, b, m/. If they are held
together, the sounds produced in that position are bilabial stops : / p, b/. If the lips are held
together, they produce different vowels.
 The teeth
The teeth take part in the production of consonant sounds. The upper teeth only take part in
the production of speech sounds. The lower teeth don't take part in the production of
sounds. The sound produced with the help of the upper teeth are called dental sounds (, r)

 The alveolar ridge

The alveolar ridge is the part between the upper teeth and the hard palate. The sound
produced with the tongue touching the alveolar ridge is called alveolar sounds, e.g. /s/,
/t/, /d/ etc.

Producing different speech sounds depends on the movement of speech organs. It is essential
to know the movement and the placement of each organ to produce particular sounds. The
above descriptions and functions of the organ of speech help you to produce the consonants
and vowels in the right way.