PHONETICS

DR. NIPUN CHAUDHARY

GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY

English is spoken as a first and second language by a large number of

people throughout the world. In some places it is the 1 st or the native
language and somewhere a second language which means a non-native
language which can be used for various purposes within the country and as
a foreign language used for international purposes. A language is used for
four purposes listening, speaking, reading, writing (LSRW). The 1 st
language comes to us without any effort- just by constant exposure but the
learning of the second language requires a great deal of conscious
analytical effort. And so we learn Phonetics to learn the listening and
speaking part of this second language. Phonetics is related to production
stage of speech. On the other Linguistics refers to the function of speech
sounds in relation to the rules of a particular language. Phonetics is used to
know the correct correspondence between spelling and sound in a
language. Like ough sound pronounces different in tough and bough.
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To solve this problem International Phonetic Association created some

symbols to represent sounds of Standard English.
There is usually a standard Written English all over the world but even in
countries where English is spoken as a native language, there are variations
in speech. In UK too, there are variations between the speech of Scotland,
England, Ireland and Wales. And, within each of these areas there will be a
wide variety of accents. Since there is a wide variety of an accent it is
essential that a standard is followed; one native regional accent that has
gained social prestige is Received Pronunciation of English. It is the
pronunciation of the southeast of England and is used by the educated
English speakers.
Each language has an alphabet and the English alphabet has 26 letters,
these 26 letters produce 44 sounds. Ginger and Garlic have two different
sounds though beginning with the same letter.
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These 44 sounds are divided into two parts- Consonant Sounds (24) and
Vowel Sounds (20)
Consonant Sounds- Articulated from a relative significant degree of
obstruction in the flow of air from mouth.
Vowel Sounds- Sounds which are free from obstructions during
articulation. Different vowel sounds require different tongue and lip
position. They are further divided into two partsMonopthongs(12)- Single vowel sounds in the production of which the
position of tongue remains unchanged. E.g. it, see etc.
Dipthongs(8)- Combination of two different vowel sounds. E.g. Fear
Stress and Syllable- English language is spoken with a rhythm which is
known as stress term rhythm. This rhythm is created due to continuous
stressing and unstressing different syllables. Syllable is the initial unit of a
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word which has only one vowel sound. It can be a monopthong or a

dipthong. Thus the total number of syllable in a word is equal to the
number of vowel sounds in that word. E.g. re-ply, ex-er-cise. When we
speak English content words are stressed and structural/functional words
are never stressed. Content words include Noun, Main verb, Adjective,
Adverb, Demonstrative and Interrogative Pronouns. Structural words
include Articles, Auxiliary verbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions, Personal and
Relative Pronouns. Stressed is marked by a vertical bar. Stress laid on a
single syllable is known as Accent. It frequently shifts to create stress term
rhythm. Study of speech sounds from syllable to other larger units is called
Phonology.
* See the image of the Organs of Speech from the word file.
* The symbols of 44 phonemes can be seen from the word file.
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Doesnt it get difficult to speak when we are breathless? Can you speak
naturally after climbing the stairs fast up to the 3d floor? No because the
air which comes out from our lungs is responsible for the production of
sounds. The parts of body required for the production of sound are:
Respiratory system, Phonatory system and the Articulatory system.
The respiratory system pushes out air and thus we speak with the help of
pulmonic aggressive air stream mechanism. It means that all sounds of
English are articulated through vocal cords. Parts of this system are: lungs,
bronchial tubes and windpipe/teachea.
The Phonatory system: Here we have the Larynx/Voice box. This voice
box contains the vocal chords which play on the air and allow it to move
forward. The space between the two vocal chords is known as glottis. The
vocal chords are made up of muscular cartilage and are either wide
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apart or in vibration. When we sit normally and breathe the vocal chords
are wide apart this is called voiceless state or open glottis. For the
production of some consonant sounds and all vowels the vocal chords
vibrate and the sound is thus called voiced and the glottis in vibration.
(while we whisper the two vocal chords come very close and the state of
the glottis is narrow glottis)
The articulatory system: When the air gushes out from the lungs through
the trachea and through the larynx then it enters the mouth or nose. The
entry of the air into the mouth is only possible when the soft palate is
raised and it blocks the nasal passage. Except for the sounds /m/,/n/,// all
vowels and consonants are produced here. The parts are-nose, lips, mouth
(tongue and teeth)
* Note: Lips, Tongue, Jaws, Teeth, Ridge, Palate, Uvula, Pharynx, Larynx
and Vocal Cords are combined known as Speech Organs.
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A sound is categorized in two ways: on the basis of

Manner of articulation- how the sound is produced
Place of articulation- where the sound is produced
Manner of articulationOther than the position of the glottis and classification of a phoneme being
voiced or voiceless(depending on the position of vocal chords in vibration
or wide apart) a sound is also classified on the basis of the where it is
produced and how. E.g. /p/ is a voiced, bilabial plosive.
Plosives An oral sound where the soft palate is raised blocking the nasal
passage and air gushes into the mouth. This air stream is trapped by the
two articulators and then released suddenly with an explosion. Thus, there
is complete closure of both oral and nasal passage and sudden release with
slight explosion. /p/, /b/, /t/,/d/, /k/,/g/.
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Affricates Complete closure and slow release with friction. /t /, / d /.

Fricatives Here the closure is CLOSE APPROXIMATION i.e. the two
articulators are brought too close but there is a narrow gap. The air escapes
through the gap with audible friction. /f/, /v/, //, //, /s/,/z/, / /, / /, /h/.
Nasals Complete oral closure by lowering of the soft palate and air
passes freely through nose. /m/, /n/, //.
Frictionless continuant open approximation as the air passes through the
two articulators easily without any friction.
Semi vowel - /j/, /w/, two of these sounds is considered as semi vowels as
the two are closer to vowel sounds but do not work as vowels.
Trill/ Roll- These consonant sounds are created through repeated tap of tip
of the tongue on teeth ridge. It results in a intermitted release of air
sometimes through nose and sometimes through mouth. E.g. /r/ (red)
Flap- It includes only aGALGOTIAS
single tap.
E.g. /r/ sound in various,
variety
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Place of articulationFor the production of each sound we need two articulators an active and a
passive articulator, the former moves towards the latter to produce a sound.
Bilabial- Sounds (phonemes) produced at the two lips. Lower lip active
articulator and lower lip passive articulator. /p/, /b/, /m/, /w/
Labio-Dental- The active articulator here is the lower lip and the passive
articulator the upper teeth. /f/ ,/v/
Dental- The sounds produced with active articulator as tip of the tongue
and passive articulator as upper teeth. //, / /
Alveolar- Active articulator blade/tip of the tongue. Passive articulator
teeth ridge. /t/,/d/, /l/, /n/, /s/, /z/
Post alveolar- Active articulator is the tip of the tongue and passive
articulator is the rear part of the teeth ridge. /r/, /t/.
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Palato- alveolar For the production of /t/, /d /, active articulator is the

blade of the tongue and passive the teeth ridge. For the production of / /,
// active articulator is the front of the tongue and passive the hard palate,
towards which the tongue is raised.
Palatal- The active articulator is the front of the tongue against the hard
palate as the passive articulator./j/
Velar The active articulator here is the back of the tongue and the passive
articulator is the soft palate. Sounds produced here are /k/, /g/, //.
Glottal Two articulators are the two vocal chords. /h/

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Phonetic Transcription
Photo

foto

Course

k:s

Should

Company

kmpni

People

pi:pl

Under

nd

Also

:lso

Problem

prblm

Between

btwi:n

Never

nev

Many

meni

Service

s:vs

Thicker

Something

sm

child

tald

Place

ples

hear

Point

pnt

system

sstm

Provide

prvad

group

gru:p

Large

l:d

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number

nmb

General

denrl

always

:lwez

head

Hed

next

nekst

information

nf men

quick

kwk

question

kwestn

nervous

n:vs

business

bzns

local

lokl

power

pa

during

djr

change

tend

although

:lo

move

mu:v

who

hu:

Book

b k

example

gzmpl

Development

dvelpmnt

rather

Young

social

sol

National

nnl

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write

rat

Water

w:t

percent

p sent

Yet

Jet

guest

Gest

Perhaps

p hps

both

bo

Until

ntl

every

evri

Control

kntrol

month

mn

Include

nklu:d

important

mp:tnt

Believe

bli:v

allow

la

person

p:sn

stand

stnd

once

wns

idea

adi:

police

pli:s

character

krkt

lose

lu:z

result

rzlt

position

pzn

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happen

hpn

industry

ndstri

friend

Frend

Major

med

carry

kri

Build

bld

awful

:fl

Language

lgwd

early

:li

International

nt nnl

view

vju:

Else

Els

himself

hmself

Yeah

je

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