Focus on Phonetics

أ. مسلم قمباز · **Publié:** Mer Juil 16, 2008 7:05 pm

Speech organs

The pharynx is a tube which begins above the larynx.

The velum or soft palate is, most of the time, raised so that the airflow cannot escape thru the nose. It can be touched by the tongue. When we make k and g , the back of the tongue is in contact with the lower side of the velum, and we call these velar consonants.

The hard palate is often called "the roof of the mouth" . We feel its smooth curved surface with our tongues.

The alveolar ridge is immediadely behind the upper front teeth. Its surface is rough and is covered with little ridges. When the tip of the tongue touches it, alveolar sounds such as ( t- d ) are produced.

The tongue can be moved into many different places and different shapes. The parts of the tongue are : tip, blade, center, back and root.

The teeth ( lower and upper ) . When the tip of the tongue is in contact with the upper teeth dental sounds are made.

أ. مسلم قمباز · **Publié:** Mer Juil 16, 2008 7:12 pm

The lips

They are ver important in producing so many sounds. When they are pressed together, bilabial consonants are produced ( p- b). When the lowe lip is in gentle contact with the upper teeth , labiodentals are made ( f - v )

All the articulators mentioned above are the main ones used in producing speech sounds, but other organs are to be described such as : the jaws, the larynx , which contains the vocal cords and the nose which helps us produce nasal sounds ( m- n )

أ. مسلم قمباز · **Publié:** Jeu Juil 17, 2008 12:28 pm

Vowels

As we said last time, vowels are sounds whose production does not require any blockage of the airstream in the vocal tract. Now how do we classify them? Vowels are claasified according to three criteria:

1. The height of the tongue

2. The backness and frontness of the tongue

3. The shape of the lips

أ. مسلم قمباز · **Publié:** Sam Juil 19, 2008 7:18 pm

The lips can have many different shapes and positions:

1. Rounded: ( this is clearly seen in U:)

2. Spread: (this is clearly seen in i: )

3. Neutral, where the lips are neither rounded nor spread.

The cardinal vowels are a standard reference system, and people being trained in phonetics have to recognize them correctly and accurately.

Close means high in the sense that the front part orthe back part of the tongue goes high a little bit towards the palate

Open means low in the sense that the front or the back part of the tongue goes down a little bit.

أ. مسلم قمباز · **Publié:** Dim Juil 20, 2008 9:47 pm

i: is a close front vowel.

u: is a close back vowel.

ae is an open front vowel.

a: is an open back vowel.

We said last time that close means high in the sense that the front part of the tongue goes high a little bit towards the palate. This is seen in i: .e.g: meet / heat / beat...etc. In a: the back part of the tongue goes down a liitle bit . e.g: father / car

Vowels are of two types. There are short vowels and long vowels. The short vowels are I-e-ae-a- u

أ. مسلم قمباز · **Publié:** Lun Juil 21, 2008 8:36 pm

I example words bit hit . This vowel is in the close front area. The lips are slightly spread

e example words bed men. It is a front vowel. It is exactly between a close-mid and an open- mid vowel.

close -mid= half high --open-mid=half low i mean the tongue height in the mouth.

ae example words cat man. It is a front open vowel . The lips are slightly spread.

When I say front I mean that the front part of the tongue is invovled in the production of this vowel. When I say open I mean that the tongue goes down a little bit. In producing the long i: the front part of the tongue goes up. Produce long i: i:i:followed immediately by ae ae ae ae ae

example words but cut . It is a central vowel. the lips are neutral.

D example words pot cross. it is a back vowel . The lips are slightly rounded . It is exactlybetween open-mid and open in tongue height.

u example words put pull. It is a back vowel . It is more open (lower) and nearer to the centre of the tongue than the long u:

Yara · **Publié:** Dim Juil 27, 2008 1:01 am

Nightingale,
thank you for this topic...really helpful for the first and second year students...thnx *Hi

أ. مسلم قمباز · **Publié:** Mar Juil 29, 2008 9:23 pm

Long vowels

i:as in mean beat . It is more close and front than the vowel in bit and hit . The lips are spread.

a: as in card and pass . It is a back open vowel. The lip position is neutral

u: as in soon and food . It is a back close vowel. The lips are moderately rounded.

أ. مسلم قمباز · **Publié:** Mar Août 19, 2008 4:31 pm

Diphthongs

Sounds which consist of a movement or a glide from one vowel to another are called diphthongs. Normally , the first part of the diphthong is much longer and stronger than the second part. English has 8 diphthongs. There are two types of diphthongs: centring diphthongs and closing diphthongs.

Centring diphthongs glide towards the schwa vowel. The schwa is a central vowel. the dipthongs in inthe following words chair, here, poor are centring dipthongs. The closing diphthongs end with a glide towards a close vowel, namely I-U . I - U are close vowels. eI is a closing dipthong.

zarodou · **Publié:** Mar Déc 16, 2008 10:56 pm

thanks very much for the information

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