English Phonetics and Phonology, FOFL-HUST

Unit 1 Introduction to English Phonetics

2. Introduction to Articulatory Phonetics 2.1. Overview a. Articulatory Phonetics The study of how the vocal tract (cavity) produces the sound of language (the movement of the tongue, the contact of the lips with the teeth) / how the sounds are made b. The vocal organs:

2.1.1. The air-stream mechanism: Communication by means of speech is impossible without air. Airstream mechanism is the way the airstream is set in motion, or initiated, or simply the way the air gets in or out during the production of sounds There are 3 main airstream mechanisms: the pulmonic, the glottalic (pharyngeal) and the oral (velaric) airstream mechanism a. The pulmonic airstream mechanism - Pulmonic egressive airstream:

English Phonetics and Phonology, FOFL-HUST

The airstream starts at the lung, up to the throat, into mouth, then out of the mouth. The direction of movement is outward. This airstream is used in all human languages including English. - Pulmonic ingressive air-stream: The air from outside comes into the mouth and then into the lung. The direction of movement is outward. This type of airstream is not found in language. b. Oral (velaric) airstream mechanism: There are sounds made entirely within the mouth, not using the lungs and their airstream mechanism is oral. - Oral ingressive airstream: The air is sucked into the mouth by the muscular action of the tounge against the roof of the mouth the tongue acts rather like a rubber sucker pulling against a ceiling - Oral egressive airstream: not found Airstream initiated solely inside the mouth, not using the lung or throat but flowing outwards c) Pharyngeal air- stream: (glottal) - Pharyngeal egressive airstream: this involves holding the vocal folds together and using the air above them in the throat (pharynx) resulting in ejective consonant. The air is compressed behind its articulation by the raising of the larynx which acts like a pump. - Pharyngeal egressive airstream: this involves holding the vocal folds closed and lowering the larynx sharply resulting in implosive (m ng): p, t, k tS 2.1.2. The vocal cords - voiced and voiceless sounds: Air from the lungs moves up the trachea (windpipe) and into the larynx. The larynx contains two small blands of elastic tissue, which can be thought of as two flat strips of rubber, lying opposite to each other across the air passage. If the vocal cords are apart, the air from the lung will have a relatively free passage into the pharynx and the mouth. The vocal cords are not vibrating, resulting in voiceless sounds

English Phonetics and Phonology, FOFL-HUST

But if the vocal cords are brought close together and there is only a narrow passage between them, they block the air passage; the pressure of the airstream will cause them to vibrate resulting in voiced sounds. Voiced sounds are the sound produced by the rapid opening and closing of the vocal cords. In a voiced sound, the rapid opening and closing of vocal cords is a kind of vibration. Voiceless sounds are the sound made with vocal cords drawn part so that the air can pass out freely between them and there is no vibration of the vocal cords 2.1.3. The velum (the soft palate) nasal and oral sounds The velum is a muscular flap at the back of the roof of the mouth. When the velum is raised, the air can only flow into the mouth producing oral sounds. E.g. p, t, k When the velum is lowered, the air flows into both mouth and nose resulting in nasal sounds. E.g. m, n