Phonetics = sounds of language

1. Phonetics = sounds of language speech sounds made when air passes from lungs through vocal tract, which shapes into different sounds based on varying the shape and size of tract through which air passes. No language takes advantage of every sound possible. E.g.Japanese and Thai have no V sound

2. Three Branches • 1) articulatory phonetics:  central to discipline of linguistics refers to human vocal apparatus and describes sounds in terms of their articulation in the vocal tract. • 2) acoustic phonetics:  uses physics to study sound waves produced in human language (used in voice automated response systems, etc) • 3) auditory phonetics :  studies perception of sounds by brain

3. Sounds vs. Spellings: words may have the same number of sounds as letters (e.g. banana, adult, set) or there may be "lack of correspondence" (eg cough = 3, freight = 4, through=4)

4. Because sound system of language (phonetics) is different than the representation (letters of alphabet) in writing system… there is a distant relationship between sounds and letters

5. Five Reasons for Discrepancies between sound and letters • English spelling has diverse origins dating back to the Normans with French customs 2) language uses same spelling system despite changes to pronunciation (eg the "k" in knife was once pronounced) 3) English is spoken differently throughout the world yet spelling system remains the same 4) letters alter their pronunciation based on adjacent letters (second “c” in electric vs, electricity or the “i” in senile vs senility) 5) spoken forms differ b/w formal and informal circumstances  (gonna, wanna, gotcha)

6. Homonyms or Homophones • words pronounced alike (and maybe spelling) but with different meanings • bear/bare, to/two/too • band - a ring, something that binds; band - a group • http://www.dailywritingtips.com/homonyms-homophones-homographs-and-heteronyms/ • simplifications are rare and slow changing like thru, nite, foto, etc.

7. Where Sounds Take Place • Labio-dental or alveolar (al-vee-uh-ler) ridgerightbehindupperfrontteeth = 1 of 3 major places for English stop consonants (e.g. “t” and “d” as in time and dog • Velar = tongue touching at back of roof of mouth ([k] as in "kin" ) • Bilabial = Lips (stops [p] and [b]) • “stopped” sounds = no continuous stream of air like s or z (sink, zinc), which are fricatives.

8. CONSONANTS, VOWELS, AND DIPTHONGS • Consonants = sounds produced by partially or completely blocking air in its passage from lungs thru vocal tract. •  Affricates -- stop-fricatives (chin and gin and batch and badge). Stop and then air released. •  Approximants -- 4 sounds [y] [r] [l] and [w]. Come close to being fricative but not enough continuous stream (s or z) to produce audible friction. (rid, lid, you, wise). • Nasals - sound through nose [n] [m] and [ng sound in singer and sing]

9. Vowels = produced by shape of mouth and positions of the tongue unobstructed by narrow passages. Orthography we have 5 vowels but in speech more than that (13 distinct sounds) Characterized by position of tongue on the lips. High, low, front, back and roundness of lips (pool versus pill; feed versus food).

10. Diphthongs = 3 in English -- vowel sound moves tongue from one place in mouth to another. [ay] as in bite; [aw] as in pout; [oy] as in soy.