Phonetics and Phonology, summary

ENGLISH VOWELS (12)

/i:/ // /e/ // /:/ //
/:/ // /u:/ // /:/ //

DIPHTONGS (8)
/e/ // /a/ /e/ // //
/a/ //

Short vowels (12)

Long vowels (5)

Vowel + //
Vowel + //
Vowel + //
Vowels are: Pulmonic, egressive, lenis, voiced, oral.
ENGLISH CONSONANTS (24: 22 consonants + 2 semivowels).
/p/ /b/ /f/ /v/ // // /t/ /d/ /s/ /z/ // // // // /k/ // /l/ /m/ /n/ // /h/ /r/ /w/ /j/
Voiceless consonants/ fortis (strong)
Voiced consonants / lenis (weak)
Consonants are: Pulmonic, egressive, fortis/lenis, voiceless/voiced, oral/nasal
(m, n, ).
Manner of articulation

Place of articulation

Plosives: /p, b, t, d, k, /
Fricatives: /f, v, , , s, z, , , r, h/
Affricates: /, /
Lateral: /l/
Nasals: /m, n, /
Semivowels: /w, j/

Bilabial: /p, b, m, w/
Labiodental: /f, v/
Dental: /, /
Alveolar: /t, d, s, z, l, n/
Palatoalveolar: /, , , /
Postalveolar: /r/
Palatal: /j/
Velar: /k, , /
Glottal: /h/

Manner of articulation
Plosive: A complete closure at the some point of the vocal tract, which
the air pressure builds up and can be released explosively.
Affricate: A complete closure at the some point of the mouth, but the
separation of the organs is slow than plosives, and the friction is an
element characteristic of the sound.
Nasal: A complete closure at the some point in the mouth, but the soft
palate being lowered and the air escapes through the nose.
Lateral: A partial closure is made at the some point of the mouth, the air
stream being allowed to escape on one or both sides of the contact.
Fricative: Two organs approximate and the air stream passes through
them causing audible friction.
Frictionless continuant or approximant: When /r/ is used at the
beginning of words causing friction, also is a common variety of
Southern British.
o Tap: Its use only in BrE, occurs between vowels.
o /r/ occurs before vowels not before consonants (only RP).
Semivowels o vowel glides: Are included in the consonantal category
on functional grounds, phonetically they are vowels (free flow of air,
vibration in the vocal folds, weak force of articulation, egressive,
pulmonic) and phonologically they are consonants (they cant be the
nucleon in the sentence, they can need a vowel to make a syllable).
Place of articulation
Bilabial: The two lips are the primary articulators.
Labiodental: The lower lip articulates with the upper teeth.
Dental: The tip of the tongue articulates with the upper teeth.
Alveolar: The tip and rims of the tongue articulates with the alveolar
ridge.
Palatoalveolar: The blade or tip of the tongue articulates with the
alveolar ridge and at the same time the front of the tongue raising
towards the hard palate.
Postalveolar: The tip of the tongue articulates with the rear part of the
alveolar ridge.

 Palatal: The front of the tongue articulates with the hard palate.
Velar: The back of the tongue articulates with the soft palate.
Glottal: An obstruction that causing friction but not vibration between
the vocal cords.
Plosives
Stages:
Closing (Articulation): Speaker, determinate of the place.
Holding (Acoustically): The environment, VOT (Voice Onset Time).
Release (Auditory): Listener, the air need to escape.
Release:
Audible aspiration [p]: A plosive consonant at the beginning of a stress
syllable, e.g. [ple]
Non-audible aspiration [p]: A plosive consonant at the beginning of a
non-stress syllable, e.g. /p/
Lateral release [tl]: A plosive consonant with a lateral consonant; the tip
of the tongue stays on the alveolar ridge, when 2 sounds are made at the
same time and the breath escapes from the sides of the tongue, and has
syllabification.
Nasal release [dn]: A plosive consonant with a nasal consonant, and the
air escapes from the nose.
Affrication of the plosive: A plosive consonant with a fricative
consonant.
Non-audible release: Two plosives, the first plosive isnt audible, e.g.
/mst /
Glottal reinforcement [p]: A plosive replace or accompanied by a
glottal stop. In syllable final before consonant or a silence.
o Dark L []: Use between pauses or final position.
o Clear L [l]: Use between vowels and initial position.

Some rules about transcription

Use of strong forms
Can be stressed or unstressed
Content words, like as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs are
transcribed like strong forms.
// // // principally are strong vowels
Use of weak forms
Is the normal pronunciation
Its never stressed
Function words like as auxiliary, adjectival words, pronouns,
conjunctions and prepositions are transcribed like weak forms.
// /i/ /u/ principally is weak vowels.
a, an, /n/+ V and //+ C
/e/:s.f
The: /i/+ v, //+ c
/i:/: s.f
Do /du/+v /d/+c
/du:/: s.f
Assimilation
1. / t / changes to / p / before / m / / b / or / p /
2. / d / changes to / b / before / m / / b / or / p /
3. / n / changes to / m / before / m / / b / or / p /
4. / t / changes to / k / before / k / or /g/
5. / d / changes to / g / before / k / or / g /
6. / n / changes to // before / k / or / g /
7. / s / changes to // before // or / j /
8. / z / changes to // before // or / j /
9. // changes to / s / before / s /
10. /j/ changes to // before /t/, e.g. /mt ju/ /mt/
S, Z or IZ
/s/, voiceless, except /s,z,/
/z/, vowel or voiced consonant, except /s,z,/ and voiceless
/z/, with /s,z,/
T, D or ID
/t/ with voiceless consonant

 /d/ with vowel or voiced consonant

/d/ with /t or d/
Vowels
/, , , , e, / NEVER IN FINAL POSITION.