Saint Peter’s College of Ormoc

PHONETICS
Classification of Speech Sounds
 PHONETICS
(Classification of Speech Sounds)

Speech sounds are classified into:

CONSONANTS VOWELS

• Voiced and Voiceless Sounds • Vowel Sounds

• Placed of Articulation • Diphthongs
• Manners of Articulation
Phonetics /fəˈnediks/
(Study of Sounds)

Classification of Speech Sounds

There are two types of sounds i.e. Consonants and Vowels Sounds

1. Consonant Sounds
a speech sound where the airstream from the lungs is either
completely blocked (stopped) or partially blocked.

a) Voiced and Voiceless Sounds

b) Places of Articulation
c) Manners of Articulation
 Consonant Sounds

a. Voiced and Voiceless Sounds

Voiced: sounds in which the vocal folds can vibrate during
the articulation.
For example: Z or V

Voiceless: sounds in which the vocal folds could not produce vibration
during the articulation.
For example: S or F

NOTE: The distinction can be felt physically if you place a

fingertip gently on the top of your Adam’s Apple.
 Consonant Sounds

a. Places of Articulation
Where in the mouth constriction is taking place.
The process of compression

Once the air passed through the larynx, it

enters the vocal tract and comes up via the
pharynx, an extended tube shape about
five inches (13 centimeters) long. It is then
pushed through the mouth (the oral tract)
and/or the nose (the nasal tract).
Places of Articulation
Places of Articulation
Places of Articulation
Places of Articulation
Places of Articulation
Manners of Articulation
 Vowel Sounds

Vowel Sounds are produced with a

relatively free flow of air. They are
typically voiced.
 To talk about a place of articulation, we
think of the space inside the mouth as
having a front versus a back and a high
versus a low area.
 Thus, in the pronunciation of heat and
hit, we talk about “high, front” vowels
because the sound is made with the front
part of the tongue in a raised position.
 In contrast, the vowel sound in hat is
produced with the tongue in a lower
position and the sound in hot can be
described as a “low, back” vowel.
Vowel Sounds
 Diphthongs Sounds

In addition to single vowel sounds, we regularly create sounds that consist of a

combination of two vowel sounds, known as diphthongs. When we produce
diphthongs, our vocal organs move from one vocalic position [a] to another [I]
as we produce the sound [aI], as in Hi or Bye. The movement in this diphthong
is from low towards high front.
Vowel Sounds
 Saint Peter’s College of Ormoc

SUPRASEGMENTALS
Stress, Pitch, Volume and Enunciation
Stress

Is the emphasis given to a specific syllable or word in a speech. A

stressed syllable is usually louder than an unstressed one. It is also often
accompanied by a higher pitch. Remember that we stress the vowel
sound of the word; not the consonant.
Example:
The modal verb “can.” When we use the positive form of “can” we
quickly glide over the can and it is hardly pronounced.
We can meet here
but when we us the negative form “can’t” we tend to stress the fact
that it’s negative.
We can’t meet here.
 Stressed Words
are
CONTENT Words
 Adverbs
Stressed
words are
CONTENT
words Adjectives

Principal
Verbs
Nouns
 Non- Stressed
Words
are
FUNCTION Words
 Conjunctions

Non-Stressed
Pronouns
words are
Prepositions
FUNCTION
words

Auxiliary
Verbs
Determin
ers
 Word Stress

Take the word picture for example. It has two syllables: ‘Pic’ and ‘ture.’
The stress is placed on ‘Pict.’ Similarly, given below are some examples.
The stressed syllables are written in capital letters.

Picture : PICTure two syllables (stressed – unstressed)

Understand : underSTAND three syllables (unstressed - unstressed –

stressed )
 Sentence Stress

a. Places of Articulation
Sentence stress is the way of highlighting the important words in a
sentence. Unlike in word stress, you can choose where you can place the
stress. Selecting which words to stress depends on the meaning and
context.
Example
• I BOUGHT a SHIRT on TUESday
• We CAN’T expect everything.
• Can I BORROW your PEN because I want to SIGN the
ATTENDANCE LIST?
Pitch

In speech, the relative highness or lowness of a tone as perceived by the

ear, which depends on the number of vibrations per seconds produced
by the vocal cords. Pitch is the main acoustic correlate of tone and
intonation.
Pitch range
In addition to the modal pitch, every individual voice has a pitch range
which can be achieved by adjustments of the vocal cords. By tightening
the vocal cords, a person can raise the pitch of the voice by loosening
them, one can lower vocal pitch.

Pitch range can be divided into three parts as high, mid and low.
Example
In contrast, high pitch range indicates an informational contrast shown in
example (a). Because high pitch range implies a contrast even when no
one is not explicitly present in the discourse, it can be used to single out
individual words for special attention as an example (b).
a.) I’m going to Harvard, not Yale
b.) I’d never do that.
Low pitch range is used when the speaker wants to assert that two items
in successive tone units are in some sense equivalent, as in example (c);

c.) I told you already , dummy.

Intonation

In speech, intonation is the use of changing vocal pitch (rising and

falling) to convey grammatical information or personal attitude.
Pitch range
In addition to the modal pitch, every individual voice has a pitch range
which can be achieved by adjustments of the vocal cords. By tightening
the vocal cords, a person can raise the pitch of the voice by loosening
them, one can lower vocal pitch.

Pitch range can be divided into three parts as high, mid and low.
 Intonation based on
several key component

Sentence
Pitch Stress
Rhythm

Is the degree of height of our voice in speech Sentence stress make the utterance Rhythm Patterns of combination of
understandable to the listener by making the stressed and unstressed syllable.
important word in sentence, stressed, clear and
higher in pitch.
 Allow us to express emotions: finality,
confidence, interest, surprise, doubt, When it is said that intonation
joy, pain, irony, etc. has accentual function, it implies
that the placement of stress is
somewhat determined by
Attitudinal intonation.

Functions
Accentual
functions
Functions of
intonation Grammatical
Functions
Discourse

are: Functions
Attitudinal Functions

Allow us to express emotions: finality, confidence, interest,

surprise, doubt, joy, pain, irony, etc.

Accentual Functions
When it is said that intonation has accentual function, it implies
that the placement of stress is somewhat determined by
intonation.
Grammatical Functions

The listener is better able to recognize the grammar and syntax

structure of what is being said by using the information
contained in the intonation. For example such things as:
A – The placement of boundaries between phrases, clauses and
sentences.
B – The difference between questions and statements.

Discourse Functions
+ Intonation can signal to the listener what is to be taken as
“new” information and what is already “given.”
+ It can indicate when the speaker is indicating some sort of
contrast or link with material in another tone unit.
+ In conversation it can convey to the listener what kind of
response is being expected from him/her.
 There are two simple possibilities for intonation: fall and
rise.

FALLING INTONATION RISING INTONATION

Is the most common type of standard In English, is a pretty complicated

unemphatic intonation in English. It is phenomenon. It can express a number
used for asking and giving of various emotions, such as : non-
information in normal, quiet, finality, surprise, doubt, interest,
unemphatic style. politeness, lack of confidence
Task
• You are the tourism ambassadors of Ormoc City who are tasked to
promote the best features of the city and its overall positive image to
local and foreign visitors. Your task is to prepare and deliver a three-
minute speech in a National Tourism Expo in Makati City to
convince the participants to visit the Philippines.

• Make sure that your speech is clear and persuasive.