This document discusses basic concepts in phonetics including: - Phonetics is the study of speech sounds and their written representation, which allows improvement of pronunciation and interpretation of pronunciation symbols. - A dialect is a variety of a language spoken by a group of people. - Producing sounds involves over half the human body, using the respiratory, phonatory, and articulatory systems. The respiratory system provides air, the larynx acts as a valve, and the articulators in the mouth and nose shape sounds.

1. Basic Concepts

2.  Phonetics is the study of the production and
the written representation of speech sounds

3.  We need to study Phonetics so that we can
improve our pronunciation by learning to
produce each sound of Standard English
correctly.
 We also need to study phonetics so that we
can interpret the symbols used in dictionaries
which represent the pronunciation of radio
announcers and educated English-speaking
people.

4.  A dialect is one variety of a given language.
All languages are made up of a number of
dialects. Each dialect represents the way one
group of people speak a specific language.

5.  To produce sounds we use more than half of
a human body – from the head to the
abdomen.
 There are three groups of systems or bodily
organs needed for the production of spoken
languages. They are : The Respiratory
System, the Phonatory System and the
Articulatory System

6.  It comprises the lungs, the muscles by means
of which they are compressed or dilated, the
bronchial tubes and the windpipe or trachea.
 The primary function of this system is
breathing but it also provides the stream of
air needed to produce the sounds we make
when we speak.

7.  It is formed by the larynx or voice box. The
primary function of the larynx is to act as a
valve which can close off the lungs, partly for
their protection, and partly so that the rib-
cage can be made rigid while muscular efforts
are exerted by the arms.

8.  It consists of the nose, lips and the mouth
and its contents, including specially the teeth
and tongue. The vocal organs situated along
the vocal tract above the glottis are called the
articulators.
 Some articulators are movable (active) and
others are motionless (passive)

9.  The Passive Articulators are the upper lip, the
upper teeth, the roof of the mouth and the
back wall of the throat or pharynx. The roof
of the mouth is a large area divided into: Soft
Palate and Hard Palate.

10.  The Active Articulators are principally the
tongue and the lips.
 The tongue is divided into:
 The Blade
 The Front
 The Back
 The Root