The Sounds of

Language
Listening
Activity
Reading
Activity
 Phonetics
• The study of the characteristics of
speech sounds.
– Articulatory phonetics
– Acoustic phonetics
– Auditory phonetics
How are speech
sounds made?
 Voice Production Process
• Breathing process
• Phonation process
• Resonation process
• Articulation process
 Two Types of Sounds
• Voiced Sounds
–This sound is produced when
the air from the lungs
repeatedly pushes the vocal
chords apart and that create a
vibration effect.
 Two Types of Sounds
• Voiceless Sounds
– Contrary to the voiced sounds,
there is no vibration effect in
this sound. It happens when the
air from the lungs “passes
between the vocal chords
unimpeded”.
 The Place of Articulation
• Bilabial – (lips) p, b, m, w
• Labiodental – (lips + teeth) f, v
• Dental – (teeth) th sounds
• Alveolar – (alveolar ridge) t, s, d, z, n, l r
• Palatal – (hard palate) ch, sh, zh, j, y
• Velar – (soft palate) k, g, ng
• Glottal – (glottis) h
Manner of
Articulation
 Stops
• This is done by a blocking
or stopping effect on the
airstream.
• [p, b, t, d, k, g]
 Fricatives
• This is done by almost
blocking the airstream and
having the air push through
the very narrow opening.
• [f, v, θ, ᶞ, s, z, ʃ, Ʒ]
 Africates
• This is done by a combination of
a brief stopping of the airstream
with an obstructed release which
causes friction.
• [tʃ, dƷ]
 Nasals
• This is done with the velum
raised, preventing airflow
from entering the nasal
cavity.
• [ m, n, ŋ]
 Liquids
• This done by letting the airstream
flow around the sides of the
tongue as the tip of the tongue
makes contact with the middle of
the alveolar ridge.
• [l, ɹ]
 Glides
• This is done by letting the
tongue glide to or from the
position of a vowel.
• [w, j, h]
   Bilabial Labiodental Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal

Voice Voice Voice Voice Voice Voice Voice

  less voiced less voiced less voiced less voiced less voiced less voiced less voiced

Stops p b         t d     k g    

Fricat
ives     f v θ ᶞ s z ʃ Ʒ        

Affric
ates                 tʃ dƷ        

Nasals   m           n       ŋ    

Liquid
s               l,r            

Glide
s   w               j     h  
 Glottal Stop [?]
• This happens when the
space between the vocal
chords (the glottis) is
closed completely, then
released.
 Flap [D]
• This is produced by the
tongue tip tapping the
alveolar ridge briefly.
Vowel
Sounds
 Front Central Back

i
High u
I ʊ
Mid e ǝ o
ɛ ɔ

Low æ a
 Diphthongs
• is a sound formed by the
combination of two vowels in a
single syllable, in which the
sound begins as one vowel and
moves towards another.
• coin, doubt, buy
 Subtle Individual Variation
• caught/cot
• hat/ hot
• dance/Don’s/dunce
• gnat/ not/ nut
• comma/ coma
• sick / seek
 Group Activity
• Directions: Get a partner, take turns
reading the following passages. As one
reads, the other check his sounds
against those indicated in the IPA
transcription. Repeat the exercise until
both of you can read the passages
with the sounds as transcribed.
• Learning to speak a foreign language
fluently and without an accent isn’t
easy.
• In most educational systems, students
spend many years studying grammatical
rules, but they don’t get much of a
chance to speak.
• Arriving in a new country can bi a
frustrating experience.
• Although they may be able to read and
write very well, they often find that
they can’t understand what people say
to them.
• English is specially difficult because the
pronunciation of words is not clearly
shown by how they’re written.
• But the major problem is being able to
listen, think and respond in another
language at a natural speed.
 References:
• Yule, G. (2006). The Study of Language (3rd
Edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Bonaobra, et.al. (2012). Speech Communication:
Trippingly Speaking the Speech. Malabon: Mutya
Publishing House Inc.
• Malicsi, J.(2005). The ELP: Oral Communication
Strategies (2nd Edition). UP Diliman: Department of
Linguistics