Introduction to Linguistics

Ms. Suha Jawabreh

Lecture # 3

Review: The Components of Language

1. Sounds – Phonetics and Phonology

2. Words – Morphology

3. Phrases and sentences- Syntax

4. Meaning- Semantics and Pragmatics

Chapter 1: What is Phonetics?

Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that aims to study the sounds of human speech.

Why do we need to study Phonetics?

-Phonetics will help you improve your English pronunciation.

- Phonetics will help you pronounce English words correctly.

The Vocal Tract

- The vocal tract is a group of organs involved in the production of speech sounds.

- For speech to occur, air must be forced up out of the lungs, up the trachea (windpipe), and into the vocal tract .

The Organs of Speech

Classification of sounds

Sounds

Consonants Vowels

( E.g. [s] , [t] ) (E.g. [i], [e])

Classification of Consonants

We classify consonants along three major dimensions:

1. Voicing

2. Place of articulation

3. Manner of articulation

Voicing

a term used in phonetics to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either:

1. Voiced

2. Voiceless

The Larynx and the Vocal Folds

-When the vocal folds are spread apart, the air from the lungs passes between .them freely.

Sounds produced in this way are described as voiceless.

Examples of voiceless sounds: [s],[f].

-When the vocal folds are drawn together, the air from the lungs repeatedly pushes them apart as it passes through, creating a vibration effect. Sounds produced in this way are described as voiced.

Examples of voiced sounds:

[z],[v].

Practice

Decide if the following sounds are voiced (V-) or voiceless (V-):

1. [k]

2.[g]

3.[t]

4.[m]

5.[h]