PHONETICS

DEFINITION

The doctrine or science of sounds especially those of human voice. It is a science to study the characteristics of human sounds making specially those sounds used in speech and provides method for their description, classification and transcription.

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION

Phonetic transcription may be defined as an unambiguous system of representing pronunciation by means of writing, the basic principle being to assign one and only one letter to each phoneme of the language.
It may be defined as a written of printed representation of speech using phonetic alphabet.

 In standard orthography (the study of spellings) the same letter can be used to represent different sounds e.g.,
AT ARM /t/ / m /

(same letter give different sounds) It is a convenient method of showing sound - order graphically.

This graphic representation of sound order appeals to the visual memory and thus assists the auditory memory.

 Conventional English spellings are far from being phonetics; it does not give the accurate information as to sound order required by the student of spoken English. The foreign learner who depends solely on ordinarily orthography is in innumerable cases at a loss to know what sounds should be used, and is continually mispronouncing words.
Bridge, Psychology, car, time, powder Mispronunciations may be avoided by the use of Phonetic Transcription.

It provides suitable symbol for the sounds of languages. These symbols are based on Roman and Greek alphabet. The first version of the alphabet was developed in the late 19th century. First dictionary was developed by Ellis, Henry Sweet, Paul Passy and Daniel Jones, in the late 19th century. The large number of diacritic makes it possible to mark minute shades of sounds as required for narrow phonetic transcription.

IPA (International Phonetic Association/Alphabet)

RP (Received Pronunciation)

Practically everyone knows that the pronunciation of English in America is different from most accents found in Britain. The accent used by most announcers and newsreaders on serious national and international BBC broadcasting channels is identified as Received Pronunciation. RP is the accent that has been chosen by British teachers to teach to foreign learners, and is the accent that has been most fully described and has been used as the basis for text books and pronouncing dictionaries.

PHONEMES

Phoneme is the minimal sound. The phonemes of a particular language are those minimal distinct units of sounds that can distinguish meaning in that language. We produce a continuous stream of sounds while speaking. We divide this stream into small pieces that we call segments. For instance,
we all went home. wi: l went hm

CONSONANTS

Consonants are sounds in which there is an obstruction to the flow of air as it passes from larynx to the lips. Consonants are generally made by a definite interference of the vocal organs with the air stream. They form the bones, the skeleton of English words and give them their basic shape. Consonants contribute more to making English understood than vowels do. For example,

VOWELS

Vowels are sounds in which there is no obstruction to the flow of air as it passes from larynx to the lips. Vowels are divided into long and short. A doctor who wants to look at the back of a patients mouth often asks the patient to say Ah; making this vowel sound is the best way of presenting and unobstructed view e.g.,
i

CONSONANTS
FRICTION CONSONANTS There are nine consonant phonemes whose main sounds all have friction as their most important feature.
f v s z h

 For all of them the lungs push air through a narrow opening where it causes friction of various kinds.

/f / and /v /

/f /

Strong Voiceless Long e.g., /f st / /fi:l/ /s f/ /rifju:z/ /la f /

/v /

Fast Feel Suffer Refuse Life

Weak Perhaps voiced Short e.g., /vst/ Vast /veri/ Very /kv/ Cover /lv/ Lover /seiv/ Save

/ / and / /

//
e.g., Thin Think Author Earthly Myth

/ /

Stronger Longer Voiceless / in/ /ik/ / / / l/ /mi /

Weaker Shorter May be voiced e.g., /en/ Then /is/ This // Other /br/ Brother /wi/ With

/s/ and /z/

/s/
Strong Longer Always voiceless e.g., /s k/ Sink /sed/ Said /bsIz/ Buses /res/ Racing /f s/ Force

/z/
Weak Short May be voiced e.g., /zu:/ Zoo /zi:l/ Zeal /lu:z/ Loser /plez / Plays /bz/ Buzz

/ / and / /
//

Strong Does occur quite frequently at the start. She Shop Ship Sure Push

/ / Weak It does not e.g.,

/tre/ Treasure /nven/ Invasion /dsn/ Decision /kln/ Collision /le/ Leisure

/ i:/ /p/ / p/ / / /p/

/h /
There are many /h/ sounds in English as there are vowels, because /h/ always occurs before a vowel and consists of the sound of breath. /h/ does not make very much noise, but it must not be left out when it should be sounded, for two reasons: Many words are distinguished by the presence or absence of /h/, like; /h / Here, // Ear, /hm/ Harm, /m/ Arm, /hi:t/ Heat, /i:t/ Eat Contd

 English speakers consider that the leaving out of / h/ is the mark of an uncultivated speaker. Leaving out / h/ is the biggest danger, but a lesser error is to make / h/ sounds too noisy. /ht/ Hat /hi:/ He

/hu:/

Who

/h /

Her

/hl/ Hall / h/ also occur in the middle of words(although never at the end of words) /bhand/ Behind /nhl/ Unholy

STOP CONSONANTS

In stop consonants the breath is completely stopped at some point in the mouth, by the lips or tongue tip or tongue back and then released with a slight explosion. There are four pairs of phonemes containing stops. /p/ /b/
/t/ /d/ /k/ /g/ /t/ /d/

 Like friction consonants one of each pair is

strong and other weak. / p / and / b /

/p/
Strong Aspiration /phu:l/ Pool /pht/ Port /hp/ Happy /sp/ Supper /kp/ Cap

/b/
Weak Never has aspiration /bt/ Bought /brad/ Bride /b/ Shabby /leb/ Labour /tb/ Tab

/t/ and /d/

/t/
Strong Aspirated /thu:/ Too /tu:/ Two /ten/ Ten /rat/ Writer /let/ Late

/d/ Short Weak Never aspirated /du:/ Do /dn/ Done /rad/ Rider /ld/ Ladder /h d/ Hard

/k / and /g /
/k/ Strong Aspirated /kev/ Cave /kl/ Curl /mkt/ Market /k/ Thicker
/bk/ Back

/g/ Weak Short Never aspirated /gev/ Gave /gl/ Girl /tgt/ Target /bg/ Bigger /dg/ Dog

/t / and /d /
English children imitate a steam engine by a series of /t / - sound

/t /
Strong /tn/ /ts/ /rtz/ /btz/ /kt/

/d /

Chin Choice Riches Batches Catch

Weak Short /dk/ /den/ /ld/ /pdn/ /ed/

Joke Jane Lodging Pigeon Age

NASAL CONSONANTS

There are three phonemes in English which are represented by nasal consonants.

/m/ /n/ // In all nasal consonants the soft palate is lowered and at the same time the mouth passage is blocked at some point, so that all the air is pushed out of the nose.

/m / and /n /
/m/ /hm/
/lm/ /gem/ Him Lamb Game

/ru:m/ Room /lmp/ Lamp /blsm/ Blossom

/n/ /wn/ One /tn/ Tin /man/ Mine /fnd/ Fond /dnt/ Joint
/ri:zn/ Reason

//
The letter ng in words like sing represent only one sound for most English speakers. A few use two sounds and pronounce the word /sg/. If you do this it will be perfectly well understood and it is better to pronounce /sg/ than to confuse this word with /sn/. But it is better still to pronounce /s/ as most English speakers do e.g., Contd

/r/ Wrong

/r/ Rung

/s/ Sing

// does not occur at the beginning of words in English, but it does occur between vowels, where it is more difficult than in final position. The difficulty is to avoid putting in a /g/ after the //, and pronouncing. /sg/ instead of /s/

If you do pronounce /sg/ it does not matter very much because some English speakers also do it; but most do not, so the /g/ should be avoided if possible. /h p/ /br t/ /l g/

Hang up
Bring it Long ago

In some words /g/ is normally pronounced after // before a following vowel, e.g.,

/g/ Anger /fg/ Finger

 A useful general rule is that if the word is formed a verb, no /g/ is pronounced, as with; /s/

Singer

/h/ Hanging But if the word is not formed from verb /g/ is pronounced, as in /strg/ Stranger (formed from adjective)

/lg/ Longer (formed from adjective)

LATERAL CONSONANTS
/l/
/l/ is formed laterally, that is instead of breath passing down the centre of the mouth, it passes round the sides of an obstruction set up in the centre. /li:v/ Live /fl/ Full

/li:f/ /ln/

Leaf Learn

/fi:l/ Feel /ggl/Giggle

GLIDING CONSONANTS

There are three consonants which consist of a quick, smooth, nonfrictional glide towards a following vowel sound.

/j/

/j/

/w/

/r/

In pronouncing the most usual English /j/ the speech organs start at or near the position for the English short // and immediately leave this for some other sound of equal or greater prominence.

 It is glide away from // that

/jd/
/jt/ /j/ /bju:t/ /fju:/

constitutes the consonant /j/.

Yard
Yacht Your Beauty Few

/vju:/
/tju:zdi/ /kmpju:t/ /nju:/

View
Tuesday Computer New

/w/
This consonant consists of a quick glide from the vowel /u:/ or // to whatever vowel follows. /w/ War /swi:t/ Sweet

/wt/

Watch

/kwat/

Quite

/wl/ Wool /twent/ Twenty

/r/
/ri:d/ Read /r/ Raw /rn/ Run /ru:d/ Rude /bra/ Borrow /hr/ Hurry In RP /r/ only occurs before vowels, never before consonants. /ln/ Learn /st/ Sort /fm/ Farm

 At the end of words RP has /r/ only if

the immediately following word begins with a vowel.
/betr f/ /fr fav/ /hr t z/ /pr ld tm/ Better off Four or five Here it is. Poor old Tom

THE VOWELS OF ENGLISH

Vowels are sounds in which there is no obstruction to the flow of air as it passes from larynx to the lips. Vowels are divided into long and short. A doctor who wants to look at the back of a patients mouth often asks the patient to say Ah; making this vowel sound is the best way of presenting and unobstructed view. Vowels must be learned by listening and imitating.

SHORT VOWELS
//
/bt/ Bit /rt/ Rich

/pn/ /f/
/tk/

Pin Fish
Chick

/wt/ /fl/

Wit Fill

/e/
/bet/
/men/ /jes/ /ret/ /wet/

bet
men Yes Wretch Wet

/fel/
/ten/ /led/

Fell
ten Led

//
/pn/ Pan /dd/ Dad /gs/ Gas /hbt/ Habit /m/ Mash /ld/ Ladder

//
/bt/ /sm/ /lk/ /bd/ /nst/ /pn/ But Some Luck Bud Nust pun

//
/pt/ Pot /gn/ Gone /dg/ Dog /k/ Shock /bks/ Box /dk/ Dock

//
/pt/ /p/ /d/ /kd/ /fl/ /wd/ Put Push Should Could Full Would

//
It is particularly short and indistinct when it is not final. There are two main difficulties with this vowel. i. To identify it. ii. To get the right quality. In the first case, do not deceived by English spellings. There is no single letter which always stand for this vowel, so rely on your ear. You must keep it very short and very obscure. Contd

//
/be/ /la/ /gri:/ /su:n/ /knd/ /tan/ /slf/ Obey Allow Agree Sooner Canada China Sulphur

LONG VOWELS

These are five. They are longer than the short vowels. Vowel symbol plus a length mark of two dots [:]

/i/
/bid / /lid/ /tin/ /hil/ /bit/ /tik/ /wit/ Bead Lead Teen Heel Beat Cheek Wheat

//
It is well known in most English accents as a hesitation sound (spelt er)
/ps/ /hd/ /bn/ /fm/ /vs/ /kl/ /gl/ Purse Heard Burn Firm Verse Curl Girl

//
when the doctor wants to look into your mouth and examine your throat he asks you to say Ah, that is the vowel //. /kd/ /dk/ /lst/ /f/ /vst/ /hf/ /r/ Card Dark Last Father Vast Half Rather

//
/l/ /sn/ /klz/ /kl/ /bt/ /s/ /pl/ Law Snore Claws Call Bought Saw Paul

/u/
/fud/ /lus/ /tu/ /du/ /sun/ /pul/ /ku/ Food Loose Two Do Soon Pool Coo

DIPHTHONGS
A diphthong is a glide from one vowel to another, and the whole glide acts like one of the long, simple vowel. In terms of length, diphthongs are like the long vowels. The first part is much longer and stronger than the second part. The total number of diphthongs is eight. There are three groups of diphthong. Contd

The diphthong /a / (as in the word eye) consist of the /a/ vowel, and only in about the last quarter of the diphthong does the glide to / / begin. As the glide to /a / happens, the loudness of the sound decreases as result the / / part is shorter and quieter. The last part of English diphthong must not be made too strongly.

Contd

Diphthong

Ending in Ending in i e e

Ending in

Beard
Aired Tour

Load

Paid, Time, Void

Gown

//
// /f/ /rl/ /h/ /bd/ /fs/ /nr/ Ear Fear Really Here Beard Fierce Nearer

/e/
/he/ /pe/ /te/ /be/
/ez/ /e/ /pe/

Hair Pear Tear Bare

Airs There Pair

//
/p/ /kj/ /pj/ /l/ // Poor Cure Pure Surely Sure

/e/
/men/ /let/ /wet/ /rez/ /lek/ /ped/ Main Late Wait Raise Lake Paid

/a/
/wat/ /ras/ /lak/ /fan/ /dvad/ White Rice Like Fine Divide

//
/d/
/l/

Joy
Oil

/vs/
/vd/ /t/

Voice
Toy Avoid Boy

/b/

//
/s/ /l/ /g/ /klz/ /hm/ /r/
/n/

So Low Go Close Home

Row Know

/a/
/lad/ /ka/ /gan/ /dat/ /tanz/

/na/ /lad/

Now Loud
Loading Cow Gown Doubt Towns

PHONETICS IN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION


i.

ii.
iii. iv. v. vi.

Phonetics is helpful in effective communication in following ways: Profession Sound culture Educated Better pronunciation Avoid being laughing stuff Better understanding of
i. ii.

Word groups Meaning