Week 1: Articulatory Phonetics (Ladefoged 2001) 1.2 Phonetics: Describing Sounds SWU LI 711 Meagan Louie August 16th, 2016 Q: What are the properties of speech sounds? 1 Introduction • Three main subfields of phonetics: 1.1 Phonology 1 articulatory phonetics: how speech sounds are made • This is a course in phonology . (eg., articulator placement, vocal fold configuration, etc.) - the systematic study of SOUNDS and how they PATTERN in language • Observation I: Different languages have different sounds/phones . i.e., they have different phonetic inventories Blackfoot Consonants: English Consonants: . [p], [t], [k], [P] . [p], [t], [k], [b], [d], [g] . [s], [h] . [f], [T], [s], [S], [h], . [ts], [ks] . [v], [D], [z], [Z] . [m], [n], [w], [j] . [tS], [dZ] 2 acoustic phonetics: the physical properties of speech sounds . [m], [n], [N], [w], [j], l], [ô] . (i.e., frequency, wavelength, etc.) 5.73319396 6.35870804 4000 • Observation II: Different languages allow different sound combinations English Consonant Clusters: Cantonese Consonant Clusters: . spl-, spr-, str, .N /A . sp-, st-, sk-, sm-, sn-, sl-, sw- . pl-, pr-, ... Frequency (Hz) . ...-rsts, -ksTs Different language have different sound systems ! 0 5.613 6.548 Q: What is the range of variation in sound systems? Time (s) . Spectrogram of the word “food” [fud] 3 perceptual phonetics: how speech sounds are perceived • But before we can investigate this question, we need a systematic way to . (eg., pitch vs frequency, the McGurk Effect) describe sounds.P honetics gives us a way to do this. 1 • The international phonetic alphabet (IPA) is a transcription system that describes speech sounds according to their articulatory phonetic features . So we’ll focus on articulatory phonetics ! • IPA symbols (see IPA chart) . - represent a single sound segment (with multiple features) . - are usually enclosed in square brackets, eg., [m] 2 Articulatory Phonetics: Consonants • Speech sounds are made by pushing air through your vocal tract They can be categorized according to their 1. Air source: lungs (pulmonic)1 2. Air flow direction: out (egressive), in (ingressive) . These factors define a sound’s airstream mechanism For now, we’ll only consider one airstream mechanism .- pulmonic egressive sounds • Speech sounds can also be categorized according to whether they involve a constriction in the vocal tract – vowels: mostly unconstricted vocal tract - air flows freely 1. Glottis 7. Alveolar Ridge – consonants: constricted vocal tract - air is obstructed 2. Vocal Folds/Chords 8. Hard Palate • Further categories of constriction(s) 3. Lower Teeth 9. Soft Palate/Velum 1.P lace of Articulation (PoA) . i.e., which articulators (eg., tongue, lips, etc.) are used 4. Upper Teeth 10. Uvula . (see vocal tract diagram on the right) 5. Lips 11. Epiglottis 2.M anner of Articulation (MoA) . i.e., type of constriction (eg., full closure, near closure, etc.) 6. Nasal Cavity 12. Larynx 3.L aryngeal Properties . i.e., the configuration of the glottis and vocal folds/chords 1The other types of air sources are glottalic and velaric - we probably won’t discuss these. 2 2.1 Place of Articulation 2.2 Manner of Articulation • Speech sounds can be categorized according toP lace of Articulation • Speech sounds can be categorized according toM anner of Articulation . - i.e., according to the ‘active articulator’ (the articulator that moves) . - i.e., the degree of closure between the articulators (1) LABIAL: using the lips [p, b, m, f, v] 1. STOP: complete closure of articulators S Z (2) CORONAL: using the tip or blade of the tongue [t, d, s, , ] – oral (nasal cavity blocked by velum)2 [p, t, k] Q (3) DORSAL: using the back of the tongue [k, g, q, ] – nasal (nasal cavity open) [m, n, N] • place of articulation can further be categorized according to the . ’passive articulator’ (where the active articulator moves to) LABIAL: CORONAL: DORSAL: Bilabial [p, b, m] Dental [T, D] Palatal [j] Labiodental [f, v] Alveolar [t, d, n, s] Velar [k, g, N] Retroflex [ú, ã ] Uvular [q, ö, X, K] Palato-Alveolar [S, Z] PoA Examples from English Diagram from Ladefoged 2001 Bilabial: phIt thæp seIm pit [ ], tap [ ], moon [mun], same [ ] 2. FRICATIVE: close approximation of articulators Labiodental: fan [fæn], phone [foUn], very [vE.ôi], save [seIv] . (turbulent airstream) [s, z, T, D, f, v, S, h] Dental: this [DIs], weather [wE.D@ô], think [TINk], path [phæT] Alveolar: rat [ôæt], sit [sIt], do [du], no [noU], lie [laI] Palatal- splash [splæS], shop [SAp], rouge [ôuZ], genre [ZAn.ô@] Alveolar: Palatal: yawn [jAn], yell [jEl] Velar: pick [phIk], pig [phIg], sing [sIN] Glottal: uh-oh [2.PoU], happy [hæ.phi] Exercises (Use your IPA chart!) Diagram from Ladefoged 2001 1. What place of articulation do the first segments in these words have? 3. APPROXIMANT: close approximation of articulators pie, buy, my, finish, value, tie, die, night, sigh, zip, laugh, write, wrong, rain, . (non-turbulent airstream) [w, j, l, r] shy, she, show, you, yellow, cat, gain, height > > 4. AFFRICATE: stop with fricative release [tS, dZ] 2. What place of articulation do the final segments in these words have? pack, pick, hang, sing, wrong, rough, fish, rat, car, tall, give, drive, meat, pass 2Another name for an oral stop is a plosive. 3 Exercises (Use your IPA chart!) CONSONANT ARTICULATORY FEATURES: Summary 1. What manner of articulation do the first segments in these words have? Consonants can be categorized according to the following features: pie, buy, my, finish, value, tie, die, night, sigh, zip, laugh, write, wrong, rain, shy, she, show, you, yellow, cat, gain, height 1.P lace of Articulation (bilabial, alveolar, velar, etc.,) 2. What manner of articulation do the final segments in these words have? 2.M anner of Articulation (stop, nasal, fricative, etc.,) pack, pay, hang, fare, wrong, rough, fish, rat, car, tall, give, drive, meat, pass 3.L aryngeal Properties (voiceless, aspirated, etc.,) 2.3 Laryngeal Mechanism • Egressive pulmonic consonants can be categorized according to 3 Articulatory Phonetics: Vowels (i) VOICING - i.e., whether the vocal folds are vibrating • Recall, speech sounds are made by pushing air through your vocal tract – VOICED (closed, vibrating vocal folds) . - and vowels involve a lack of construction and free-flowing air b, d, g, z, v, m, n, a, i , u, e, o, dZ, D, , ... f g – VOICELESS (open vocal folds) • ...but your tongue and lips are placed in different locations: p, t, k, s, S, f, tS, T, ... f g (ii) ASPIRATION- i.e., whether the sound is followed by a puff of air – ASPIRATED (puff of air) ph, th, kh f g – UNASPIRATED (no puff of air) p, t, k f g Diagram from Ladefoged 2001 1. Vowel [i] as in heed 5. Vowel [A] as in father 2. Vowel [I] as in hid 6. Vowel [U] as in good 3. Vowel [E] as in head 4. Vowel [æ] as in had 7. Vowel [u] as in food 4 • The different tongue/lip configurations define different cavities of air (i) HEIGHT (i.e., high [i] vs low [a] ) within your vocal tract . relates to the vertical position of the tongue • These cavities have different resonant/harmonic frequencies, which is why different vowels sound distinct 3.1 Vowel Features VOWELS are characterized in terms of the following articulatory features: . height, front/backness, rounding, tense/laxness3 (ii) FRONT/BACKNESS (i.e., front [y] vs back [u]) . relates to the front/back position of the tongue (iii) ROUNDNESS (i.e., round [y] vs unround [i]) . relates to roundness of lips (iv) LAXNESS (i.e., tense [i] vs lax [iI) . relates to the degree of height/backness We’ll use this minimal vowel chart to go through the features . (see IPA chart for full list of symbols) 3Some languages make use of a featureA dvanced Tongue Root ( ATR) ± 5 NOTE 1: Some dialects of English do not have the vowel [O]. These IPA Symbol Example dialects,a which have the caught-cot merger pronounce the word pairs odd/awed, collar/caller, wok/walk with [A]. Dialectsb which lack the caught- [i] [Sip] [it] [fôi] English: sheep , eat , free cot merger pronounce the first member of the pair with [A] and the French: tu [ty], lu [ly], bu [by], German: m¨ude second member of the pair with [O]. [y] [mud@] ¨uber [yb5] Cantonese: [Sy]1 , , ”book” , aeg., my dialect > 1 6 ”pig” [tsy] , ”fish” [jy] beg., Lady Mary’s RP dialect from Downton Abbey [I] English: lip [lIp], hit [hIt], sick [sIk] [W] NOTE 2: Some dialects of English do not have the vowel [O]. These dialects,a which have the caught-cot merger pronounce the word pairs [u] English: root [ôut], hoop [hup], soon [sun] odd/awed, collar/caller, wok/walk with [A]. Dialectsb which lack the caught- cot merger pronounce the first member of the pair with [A] and the [U] English: could [khUd], look [lUk], full [fUl] second member of the pair with [O]. French: aimer [e.me], English: hey [hej]/[heI], lay [e] a h > h > eg., my dialect [lej]/[leI], page [p ejdZ]/[p eIdZ] beg., Lady Mary from Downton Abbey [pho] [low]/[loU] [o] French: peau , English: low , boat [bowt]/[boUt], soak [sowk]/[soUk] VOWEL ARTICULATORY FEATURES: Summary [@.bawt] [sow.f@] [@] English: about , sofa , amazing Vowels can be categorized according to the following features: [@.mej.zIN] 1.H eight (high, mid, low) [E] English: let [lEt], wreck [ôEk], hen [hEn] 2.F ront/Backness (front, central, back) [2] English: bus [b2s], cut [k2t], some [s2m] 3.R oundness (round, unround) [O] English: awed [O:d], hawk [hO:k], bought [bO:t] 4.L axness (tense, lax) [æ] English: hat [hæt], can [khæn], map [mæp] [a] Japanese: ”fish” [sa.kha.na] [A] English: hot [hAt], hop [hAp], sock [sAk] [aj]/[aI] English: pie [phaj], ride [ôajd], time [thajm] aw]/[aU] English: cow [khAw], loud [lawd], clown [khlawn] > [Oj]/[OI] English: toy [thOj], droid [dZôOjd], coin [khOjn] 6 Study Guide c) Voiced, post-alveolar fricative mmm d) Voiced, bilabial stop mmm You should know these terms, and what they refer to: e) Voiceless, aspirated, alveolar stop mmm 1.