PHONETICS

Phonetics is the study of the speech sound that occur in all human languages to represent meanings (Fromkin/Rodman 1993:176)

Type of Phonetics:

1.      Articulator Phonetics

Study of the way how speech sounds are made (articulated) by the vocal organs

2.      Acoustic Phonetics

Study of the physical propeties of the speech sound

3.      Auditory Phonetics

Study of the perceptual response to speech sounds through ear, auditory nerve, brain.

Classification of Sound

            Sounds are classified into consonant and vowels. Consonant are sounds that are procuded with a major obsturction in the mouth cavity. For example, in the case of [t] there is direct  contact between the tip of the tounge (active articulator) and the alveolar ridge (passive articulator), so that the airflow coming from the lungs can leave the mouth cavity only when  the obstruction is removed. Vowels are sound that procuded without such obstruction. For example, in the case of [i:] there is a gap within the mouth that is determined by the position of the tongue, and airflow can escape relative freely.

            Another difference betwen consonants and vowels is that vowels are generally voiced, i,e. The vocal cords are set vibrating by the outgoing airflow. Consonants, by contrast can be voiced and voiceless: the vocal cords are either far apart dont vibrate, as in fan, or they are reltively closed and vibrate as in van.

Classification of consonant

            Factors relevant for the classification of consonant include  the manner of articulation, the place of articulation, and voicing. With regard to the manner of articulation, english consonant can be classified into plovies,  plosive, fricatives, affricates, nasals, liquids, and semi-vowels.

Classification of vowels

Depending on the height of the tounge, vowels can be classified into high, low and mid vowels:

1.      When the front or the back of the tounge is raised towards the roof of the mouth, the vowel s called high.

2.       When the front or the back of the tounge is as low as possible, the vowel is called low.

3.      When the tounge occupies the position intermediate between the high and the low one , the vowel is called mid.

Depending on the part of the tounge that is raised most vowels are classified into front, back, and central vowels:

1.      When the front of the tounge is raised towards the hard palate, the vowles is called font.

2.      When the front of the tounge is raised towards the soft palate, the vowel is called back.

3.      When the front of the tounge is raised towards the back part of the hard palate, the vowel is called central.