This document provides an introduction to phonetics and phonology. It discusses the classification of speech sounds into vowels and consonants. Vowels are sounds made with an unobstructed airflow through the oral cavity, while consonants involve some obstruction. Consonants are further classified based on their manner of articulation, such as stops, fricatives, and nasals, and their place of articulation, such as bilabial, alveolar, and velar. Vowels are classified based on the height, backness, and roundedness of the tongue. Phonetic transcription represents speech sounds with symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet in order to provide a universal system for writing sounds across

1. Introduction to
Phonetics & Phonology
Topic 2 – Speech sound classification (Slides 1)
The Phonemic Chart
Consonants
Vowels

2. 2
PHONETICS:
The scientific study of speech sounds –
their description, classification and transcription
(i) Articulatory phonetics: How speech sounds are articulated -- i.e.
what speech organs are involved, and what physical gestures or
configurations are required to produce the sounds in question.
(ii) Acoustic phonetics: The physical properties of the sound waves
generated by speech -- e.g. the frequency of oscillation (how many cycles
per second), amplitude (how loud), and duration (for how long).
(iii) Auditory phonetics: How speech sounds are perceived by the
hearer as having certain auditory properties that differentiate them from
each other, such as the quality of the sound (is it [i] or [e]?), the pitch
(high or low), loudness, length, and so on.

3. The Speech Organ
3

4. 4

5. 5

6. 6
PHONETIC CLASSIFICATION
Two broad distinctions:
(i) Vowels: sounds which are made with a smooth,
continuous, unobstructed airflow through the oral
cavity (e.g. [i:] as in see or [u:] as in too)
(ii)Consonants: sounds which are made with some
obstruction to the airflow in the oral cavity (e.g. [s]
as in see or [t] as in too)

7. 7
CONSONANTS
I. MANNER OF ARTICULATION

8. 8
II. PLACE OF ARTICULATION

9. 9

10. 10

11. 11

12. 12

13. 13
Vowels:
(1)the height to which the body of the tongue is
raised, whether it is high, low, or in between
(mid);
(2) how forward the body of the tongue is, whether it
is front (advanced), central, or back (retracted);
(3) whether the lips are rounded or unrounded.

14. 14

15. 15

16. Phonetic transcription
16
The representation of speech with phonetic
symbols: each symbol represents one and
only one sound
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)
A universal inventory of phonetic symbols
Representing the sounds in all human languages

17. 17

18. 18