1. Phonetics: The Sounds of Language
The Phonetic Alphabet
Brief Biography of Theorist

2. What is Phonetics?
Phonetics: “The science, study, analysis and classification of speech sounds, including their production, transmission, and reception.”
Pei Mario (1966) 205.

3. The main branches
Acoustic phonetics- deals with the physical properties of the sounds.
Auditory phonetics- studies listeners perception of these sounds.
Articulatory phonetics- how the vocal tract produces the sounds.

4. History
Although phonetics has a long history the first serious attempt to codify a universal phonetic alphabet encompassing a symbol for every known speech sound began with the International Phonetic Association (IPA) in It was continued by Daniel Jones and Paul Passy two influential British linguists.
IPA Homepage. tm

6. History
Daniel Jones demonstrates a kymograph i.e. a device for recording air pressure and speech movements and a palatogram to help adult foreigners learn to speak English like a native and acquire good pronunciation.

7. Table 6.6 Phonetic Symbols
Table 6.6 on page of you text gives the Phonetic Symbol/English Spelling Correspondences for American English consonants and vowels.

8. The anatomy of a phonetic transcription
Word Transcription
Though [ ]

9. Step # 1 Break word into constituent elements
Though [th-ou-gh]

10. Step # 2 Assign correct phonetic symbols to each unit
Though [th-ou-gh]
th= ?
ou=?
gh=?

11. Step # 2 Assign correct phonetic symbols to each unit
Though [th-ou-gh]
th= δ
ou=o
gh=silent

12. Correct Phonetic Transcription
Spelling Pronunciation
Though [δo ]

13. Spelling Pronunciation
Practice # 2
Spelling Pronunciation
Thought [ ]

14. Practice # 2 Assign correct phonetic symbols to each unit
Thought [th-ou-ght]
th= θ
ou=כֿ
gh=silent
t=t

15. Spelling Pronunciation
Transcription # 2
Spelling Pronunciation
Thought [θכֿt]

16. Spelling Pronunciation
Practice # 3
Spelling Pronunciation
rough [ ]

17. Spelling Pronunciation
Transcription # 3
Spelling Pronunciation
rough [rΛf]

18. Spelling Pronunciation
Practice # 4
Spelling Pronunciation
bough [ ]

19. Spelling Pronunciation
Transcription # 4
Spelling Pronunciation
bough [baw]

20. Spelling Pronunciation
Practice # 5
Spelling Pronunciation
Through [ ]

21. Spelling Pronunciation
Transcription # 5
Spelling Pronunciation
Through [θru]

22. Spelling Pronunciation
Practice # 6
Spelling Pronunciation
would [ ]

23. Spelling Pronunciation
Transcription # 6
Spelling Pronunciation
would [wUd]

24. Spelling Pronunciation
French Transcription
Spelling Pronunciation
tu [ ]

25. Spelling Pronunciation
French Transcription
Spelling Pronunciation
tu [ty]

26. The pièce de résistance question 8 page 270-271
Write a phonetic transcription of the italicized words in the poem entitled “English” published long ago in a British newspaper.

27. The English Poem I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Some may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, slough and through?
So now you are ready, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?
Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird .
And dead , it’s said like bed, not bead;
For goodness’ sake, don’t call it deed !
Watch out for meat and great and threat .
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt .)
A moth is not a moth in mother ,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother .

28. The English poem line 1
I take it you already know

29. The English poem line 1
I take it you already know
Know= [no]

30. Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Line 2
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?

31. Line # 2 transcribed
Of tough [tΛf] and bough [baw] and cough [kэf] and dough [do]?

32. Some may stumble, but not you
Line 3
Some may stumble, but not you

33. Some may stumble, but not you [ju]
Line 3 transcribed
Some may stumble, but not you [ju]

34. On hiccough, thorough, slough and through?
Line 4
On hiccough, thorough, slough and through?

35. On hiccough [hΙkΛp], thorough [θəro], slough [slu] and through [θru]?
Line 4 transcribed
On hiccough [hΙkΛp], thorough [θəro], slough [slu] and through [θru]?

36. Line 5 and 6
So now you are ready, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?

37. Beware of heard, a dreadful word
Line 7
Beware of heard, a dreadful word

38. Beware of heard [hΛrd], a dreadful word [wΛrd]
Line 7 transcribed
Beware of heard [hΛrd], a dreadful word [wΛrd]

39. That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
Line 8
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.

40. That looks like beard [bird] and sounds like bird [bΛrd].
Line 8 transcribed
That looks like beard [bird] and sounds like bird [bΛrd].

41. And dead, it’s said like bed, not bead;
Line 9
And dead, it’s said like bed, not bead;

42. And dead [dεd], it’s said [sεd] like bed [bεd], not bead [bid];
Line 9 transcribed
And dead [dεd], it’s said [sεd] like bed [bεd], not bead [bid];

43. For goodness’ sake, don’t call it deed!
Line 10
For goodness’ sake, don’t call it deed!

44. For goodness’ sake, don’t call it deed [did]!
Line 10 transcribed
For goodness’ sake, don’t call it deed [did]!

45. Watch out for meat and great and threat.
Line 11
Watch out for meat and great and threat.

46. Watch out for meat [mit] and great [gret] and threat [θrεt].
Line 11 transcribed
Watch out for meat [mit] and great [gret] and threat [θrεt].

47. (They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.)
Line 12
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.)

48. (They rhyme with suite [swit] and straight [stret] and debt [dεt].)
Line 12 transcribed
(They rhyme with suite [swit] and straight [stret] and debt [dεt].)

49. A moth is not a moth in mother
Line 13
A moth is not a moth in mother

50. A moth [mэθ] is not a moth in mother [mΛδər]
Line 13 transcribed
A moth [mэθ] is not a moth in mother [mΛδər]

51. Nor both in bother, broth in brother.
Line 14
Nor both in bother, broth in brother.

52. Nor both [boθ] in bother [baδΛr], broth [brэθ] in brother [brəδər].
Line 14 transcribed
Nor both [boθ] in bother [baδΛr], broth [brэθ] in brother [brəδər].

53. Finished Poem I take it you already know [no]
Of tough [tΛf] and bough [baw] and cough [kэf] and dough [do]?
Some may stumble, but not you [ju],
On hiccough [hΙkΛp], thorough [θəro], slough [slu] and through [θru]?
So now you are ready, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?
Beware of heard [hΛrd], a dreadful word [wΛrd]
That looks like beard [bird] and sounds like bird [bΛrd].
And dead [dεd], it’s said [sεd] like bed [bεd], not bead [bid];
For goodness’ sake, don’t call it deed [did]!
Watch out for meat [mit] and great [gret] and threat [θrεt].
(They rhyme with suite [swit] and straight [stret] and debt [dεt].)
A moth [mэθ] is not a moth in mother [mΛδər]
Nor both [boθ] in bother [baδΛr], broth [brэθ] in brother [brəδər].

54. References
Fromkin , V. & Rodman, R. An Introduction to Language, 7th edition. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace. pp
www2.arts.gla.ac.uk/IPA/IPA.html