1. Lecture 5: Chapter 4: The sounds of language Lecturer: Haifa Alroqi
Introduction to Linguistics - LANE 321

2. What is a vowel? produced with a relatively free flow of air
Vowels are all voiced

3. Describing Vowels How do we describe/ classify consonants?
Voicing
POA
MOA
How do we describe/ classify vowels?
How high is the highest part of the tongue in the mouth?
How front or back is the highest part of the tongue in the mouth?
Are the lips rounded or unrounded?

4. Describing Vowels
How high is the highest part of the tongue in the mouth?
High
Mid
Low
How front or back is the highest part of the tongue in the mouth?
Front
Central
Back

6. High Mid Low [i] [ɛ] [æ] eat/ key/ see dead, pet, said ban, laugh, sat
Vowel Height
High
Mid
Low
[i]
eat/ key/ see
[ɛ]
dead, pet, said
[æ]
ban, laugh, sat

7. Vowel Height Upper High [i], [u] e.g. eat/ key/ see
[i] (front)
e.g. eat/ key/ see
[u] (back)
e. g. move/ two/ too

8. Vowel Height Lower High [ɪ], [ʊ] [ɪ] e.g. hit, myth, women [ʊ]
e.g. could, foot, put

9. Vowel Height Upper Mid [e], [ə], [o] [e] e.g. great, tail, weight [ə]
e.g. above, sofa, support
[o]
e.g. no, road, toe

10. Vowel Height Lower Mid [ɛ], [ʌ], [ɔ] [ɛ] e.g. dead, pet, said [ʌ]
e.g. blood, putt, tough
[ɔ]
e.g. ball, caught, raw

11. Vowel Height Upper Low e.g. ban, laugh, sat e.g. Tom, hot, got (UK)
[æ]
e.g. ban, laugh, sat
[ɒ]
e.g. Tom, hot, got (UK)

12. Vowel Height Lower Low e.g. bomb, swan (American) [a] [ɑ]
e.g. spa, طويل, father

14. Front and back vowels
He /hi/
Who /hu/

15. Lip roundedness Rounded [u], [ʊ], [o], [ɔ], [ɒ] [u] e.g. noon
Unrounded [i], [ɪ], [e], [ɛ], [æ], [ə], [a], [ʌ]
[i] e.g. heat

16. Diphthongs A combination of two sounds
begins with a vowel & ends with the glides [w] or [j]
vowel + glide
[aw]
cow, down, loud, doubt
[ɔy] or [ɔj]
boy, toy, noise, void
[ay] or [aj]
ride, high, bye, eye, my

17. Activity: identifying diphthongs
Call top Fright joy
Top Haste Avoid Proud Hide
Fright [ay]
Joy [ɔy]
Avoid [ɔy]
Proud [aw]
hide [ay]

18. Vowels’ full description
Can be classified according to three parameters: height, backness, and lip rounding
Examples:
[i]
high front unrounded vowel
[u]
high back rounded vowel

19. Phonetic Transcription
The best-known system:
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
IPA has been developing since 1888.
The system represents each sound of human speech with a single symbol.
The symbol is enclosed in brackets [ ] or / /.

20. Phonetic Transcription
We can use IPA transcription across languages, there is one symbol for EVERY possible human sound
There is a 1-1 correspondence of sound to symbol
Cat [kæt]
Cell [sɛl]

21. Transcription Practice
Transcribe the following words
Kick
Boot
She
The
Thin
[kIk]
[but]
[ʃi]
[ðə]
[θɪn]

22. Important terms Articulatory phonetics articulators
Consonants and vowels
Places of articulation
Manner of articulation
Voicing
Parameters for describing vowels
Phonetic transcription

23. Plz read chapter 5: The sound patterns of language
  Thank you   
Next class:
Plz read chapter 5: The sound patterns of language