This is a summary for Linguistics 4: the Phonology of English. It contains lecture content as well as a summary of the reading material from O'Grady and Carr. On the first page you can find an IPA chart. The phonological features can be found on page 6, 7 and 8.
Vocal tract: the air passages above the larynx (where the vocal folds are)
Articulators: parts of the vocal tract that can be used to form sounds
Four processes: 1. Airstream process (English: respiratory system)
2. Phonation process
3. Oro-nasal process
4. Articulatory process
Places of articulation:
1. Bilabial: constriction between the lower lip and the upper lip /b/ /p/
2. Labiodental: constriction between the lower lip and the upper teeth /v/ /f/
3. Dental: between the tip of the tongue and the upper teeth /θ/ /ð/
4. Alveolar: blade or tip of the tongue and alveolar ridge /s/ etc.
5. Post-alveolar: /ʃ/ /ʒ/
6. Palatal: front of the tongue and hard palate /j/
7. Velar: back of the tongue and velum /g/ /k/
Manner of articulation:
1. Stops: the articulators form a complete closure, closure is then released.
2. Fricatives: less extreme degree of constriction - close approximation.
,Summary Linguistics 4 Langbroek 2
3. Approximants: open approximation.
4. Nasals
5. Affricates
6. Lateral approximants
7. Tap/flap
8. Trill
Central approximant: [r] → air escapes along the central groove of the tongue.
Lateral approximant: [l] → air escapes on sides of the tongue. Centre of the tongue forms a
stricture.
The primary cardinal vowels
1. [i] 8. [u]
2. [e] 7. [o]
3. [ε] 6. [ɔ]
4. [a] 5. [ɑ]
RP vowels
i heed əʊ code
ɪ hid u who’d
eɪ hayed з bird
ε head aɪ hide
ӕ had aʊ how
ɑ hard ɔɪ oy
ɒ hot ɪə here
ɔ hawed εə hair
ʊ hood aə hire
O’Grady: specialisation for language
Our speech organs are unique in (structure and shape) to our species. Also equipped for
speech perception. Language doesn’t have to be oral.
Language has to be creative: freedom to produce new words and sentences.
Also → presence of systemic constraints (rules)
Lecture week 2: phonology of English
Speech sounds change their form depending on the context → assimilation
Linguistics: scientific discipline concerned with the structure of human natural languages
that are used for transfer of information (communication).
, Summary Linguistics 4 Langbroek 3
Transfer of information
Language: possible means of communicating indirectly with each other (animals have this
too).
Human language: communication between human beings (one of many possible means).
→ human beings communicate best using symbols. Speech is abstract: just a combination of
speech sounds.
Henry Sweet: turned phonetics into a science in Britain.
Formulation: the speaker needs linguistic awareness.
Speaker Hearer
⇓ ⇓
Idea Idea
⇓ ⇓
Formulate Comprehend
⇓ ⇓
Articulate Perceive
⇘ ⇙
Sounds in the air
Speech is … → transitory (disappears immediately
→ elusive (cannot grasp it)
→ not reproductive (conditions never exactly the same)
→ continuous (stream of noises)
→ audible
Phoneticians investigate speech sounds by recording utterances. They identify units within
the stream of soundwaves.
Phonetics: physical properties of speech sounds
Phonology: how sounds function, behave, change in language
➔ Which sounds are used in a language to distinguish meaning (phonemes)
➔ How speech sounds may combine to form words in a language
➔ How speech sounds behave/change in phonological environments in languages
(language specific)
Lecture week 3: phonetics and phonology
Paul Passy: French phonetician - IPA founder & phonetic alphabet inventor.
Contrastive sounds: speech sound used in a language to distinguish meaning.
In 400 languages: 600 possible consonants, 200 possible vowels.
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