There is nothing to describe. People will understand me.

1. BM3
Introduction to English Linguistics
Part II
Session 2: Phonetics

2. Who am I?
Rebecca Carroll, M.A.
Contact options:
• Stud.IP
• A 10 1-103 / phone 0441-798 3181
• Email: rebecca.carroll@uni-oldenburg.de
All information can be found on my homepage:
www.staff.uni-oldenburg.de/rebecca.carroll

3. Literature
Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., Hyams, N. (2006). An Introduction
to Language. 8th ed. Wadsworth.
Roach, P. (2000). English Phonetics & Phonology – A
Practical Course. 3rd ed. Cambridge: CUP.
Ladefoged, P. (2006). A Course in Phonetics. 5th ed.
Hanke, J. & Intemann, F. (2000). The Interactive Introduction
to Linguistics. CD ROM. Version 2.0. München: Hueber.
See Handapparat for further introductory books

4. Any Questions So Far?
• Organizational
• Concerning the lecture
• Concerning this class

5. Overview: Where are we?
• Phonetics/ Phonology
• Morphology
• Syntax
• Semantics
• Pragmatics
• Applied Linguistics
(Historical Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Textlinguistics,
Psycholinguistics, Neurolinguistics, Computational Linguistics, …)
major areas
of (theoretical)
linguistics

6. Phonetics – The Art of Articulation
What organs are involved when we produce sounds?
• Airstream mechanisms
• Phonation
• Vocal tract
• Articulators
• Tongue

7. Phonetic Description of Sounds
• Phonation
• Place of articulation
• Manner of articulation
• Lip rounding

8. Places of Articulation:
the Vocal Tract

9. Places of Articulation:
the Tongue

10. Places of Articulation:
Vowels

11. Places of Articulation: Consonantal
Chart

12. Places of Articulation:
Consonantal Chart
International
Phonetics
Association

13. Manners of Articulation
• Plosive
• Fricative
• Nasal
• Approximant
• Trill
• Lateral
• Flap/ tap

14. Co-articulation and Other Nuissances
A sound can be slightly altered in anticipation of the
following sound, so that the articulators have to „work
less“. e.g.
• Lips of an unrounded vowel (or consonant) can be slightly
rounded in anticipation of a labial consonant
• Vowels preceding a nasal are typically slightly nasalized
as well
Transcription issues:
• The length of a vowel is also transcribed /uː/ as in ‚two‘
• Usually, you will also find stress marks: primary stress /
ˈ/ as in /əˈbəʊt/ and secondary stress /ˌ/ as in /ˌlɪŋ.
ˈɡwɪs.tɪks/

15. Your Turn!
Name the articulators/ vocal organs in the figures.

16. Your turn!
Listen to the sounds and write down the phonetic
properties referring to
 Manner of articulation
 Place of articulation
 Lip rounding
 Tongue position (front/ back/ high/ low)

17. Your turn!
Determine the sound of the following sound-descriptions and
find an example word which contains that sound.
e.g. /b/ as in bat
voiced velar plosive unrounded close-mid front v.
voiceless bilabial plosive rounded open back vowel
voiced alveolar nasal neutral mid central vowel
voiceless labiodental fricative rounded close-mid back v.
voiced labio-velar approximant unr. open(-mid) front vowel
voiced alvolar lateral rounded open-mid back v.
voiceless glottal fricative unrounded close-mid front v.

18. (Brief) Description of Articulatory Actions
of the Word „Ship“
1. Starting point: normal breathing (how?)
2. Blade of tongue is raised against in the
post-alveolar region of the hard palate; lips
are slightly rounded.
3. Lungs are compressed to produce an
egressive pulmonic airstream; air escapes
through a passage along the center of the
tongue causing friction.
4. Vocal fold vibration begins; tongue is lowered and moved to a
high front position; lips are rounded.
5. Lips are closed to form a closure in the vocal tract; air is
compressed, voicing ceases.
6. Release of compressed air by opening mouth, air escapes.
7. Lung pressure is lowered and the articulators return to normal
(breathing position).

19. Your turn!
Try to give the same detailed description for the
articulation of (one of) the following words:
- this - bee
- those - shoes
- bang - myth
Pay special attention to details such as coarticulation,
nasalization, voicing, etc.