PHONETICS Introduction

P HONETICS Definition : The scientific study of speech. Speech? Represents words and other units of language. There are some sounds we can identify easily enough and some sounds are difficult. (E.g non- pulmonic sounds) Scientific? To measure as accurately as possible and give an agreed terminology

E XAMPLE

WHISTLE LANGUAGE /languessifflees.htm

P HONETICS Concerned with: The characteristics of sounds that occur in language Interested in: 1. Description of sounds 2. Classification of sounds; [p] voiceless, bilabial, stop

P HONETICS 3. Transcription of words: To write words according to how you hear them. It is a method of writing down speech sounds in a systematic and consistent way

D IFFICULTIES FROM LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE After puberty it is difficult to learn a new language, so we have to learn it at an early age. There will be difficulties arising from second language interference. English? (R.P) received pronunciation, which is the pronunciation of the educated speakers of the English language.

D IFFERENCE BETWEEN SPELLING AND SOUND 1. Different letters may represent a single sound: [ too, two, threw, shoe] 2. A single letter may represent different sounds: [dad, father, call, many] 3. A combination of letters may represent a single sound: [shoot, character, theater, physics]

CONTINUE 4. Some letters are silent: [knife, whole, lamb, island, castle] 5. Some sound are not represented in the spelling: [cute]

R ELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION C pronounced /s/ when followed by the letters [e-i-y]: [ cell, city, cycle] C pronounced /k/ when followed by the vowel [o-a-u]: [cold, cab, cub] G pronounced / / when followed by [e-y]: [gem, gym]

C ONTINUE ( VOWELS ) at/ ate At: short vowel sound Ate: long vowel sound rid/ ride not/ note * If an a is followed by an e, the a becomes a long vowel sound

C OMMON MISTAKES 1. Substituting one consonant sound for another: [please-blease] [pin- bin] 2. Delete consonants: [price- pice] 3. Change the length of vowel: [this- these]

CONTINUE 4. Substituting one vowel sound for another: [cot-cut] 5. Misplacing primary stress: [E’vent- e ‘VENT]

T RANSCRIPTION Phonetic transcription is completely separate from spelling. Only symbolize the phonemes. Use broad transcription. E.g hat / hæt /

I NTERNATIONAL P HONETIC A LPHABET (IPA)

C ARDINAL VOWELS

D IPTHONGS

T RANSCRIPTION ( CONTINUE ) Homographs: same spelling, different pronunciation. Lead (n.) /led/ Lead (v.) /li ː d/ Homophones: words pronounced identically same sound, different spelling, same pronunciation. Rain / re ɪ n / I / a ɪ / Rein / re ɪ n / eye / a ɪ / end