PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY

BASIC CONCEPTS OF PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY

Phonetics & Phonology

Speech Sounds

Consonants, Vowels, and Diphthongs

Oral vs Written Language

Voice & Voiceless Sounds

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Phonemes & Allophones

Place & Manner of articulation

IPA

Human Vocal Tract

International Phonetic Alphabet

Speech Apparatus

References: Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2018). An introduction to language (11th ed.). Cengage Learning Roach, P. (2009). English phonetics and phonology: A practical course (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press Yule, G. (2020). The study of language (8th ed.). Cambridge University Press Ladefoged, P., & Johnson, K. (2015). A course in phonetics (7th ed.). Cengage Learning

The vocal cords do not vibrate (like /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /s/) pat /pæt/ → /p/ is voiceless.

Voiceless

The vocal cords vibrate when you say them (like /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /z/) bat /bæt/ → /b/ is voiced.

Voice

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Oral language is spoken and heard. It’s natural — children learn it first, and it includes pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation

Oral Language

Written language is visual. It uses letters and symbols to represent spoken words. Both are connected, but they have different rules

Written Language

VS

International Phonetic Alphabet

The IPA is a universal system of symbols that represent every possible sound in human languages. It helps learners know how to pronounce words correctly, no matter the spelling. Each symbol corresponds to one exact sound (phoneme).

Example:

• Cat → /kæt/
• Ship → /ʃɪp/
• Phone → /fəʊn/

The place of articulation shows where the sound is made — for example, with the lips, teeth, or tongue

Place of articulation

The manner of articulation explains how the air moves when producing the sound — whether it stops, flows smoothly, or vibrates.

Manner of articulation

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Phonetics is the study of how we make, hear, and describe speech sounds. It focuses on the physical side of language — how our mouth, tongue, and vocal cords move to produce sounds

Phonetics

Phonology studies how these sounds work and combine in a language to create meaning. It’s more about the system of sounds and their patterns

Phonology

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Human Vocal Tract

Speech Organs

The vocal tract is the part of our body we use to produce speech sounds. It includes:

• Lungs: Push air out to create sounds.
• Vocal cords: Vibrate for voiced sounds.
• Tongue, lips, teeth, and palate: Shape the sounds.
• Nose: Used in nasal sounds like /m/ or /n/.

Each part has a special role in creating different types of sounds.

Example:

• The lips make /p/, /b/, and /m/

• The tongue touches the alveolar ridge to make /t/ and /d/

A phoneme is the smallest sound that can change the meaning of a word

Phonemes

An allophone is a small variation of the same phoneme that doesn’t change meaning

Allophones

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VS

are combinations of two vowel sounds in one syllable, where your mouth moves from one position to another Examples: /aɪ/ in time

Diphthongs

are sounds made by blocking or restricting the air in some way Examples: /p/, /t/, /k/, /s/, /m/

Consonants

are made with an open vocal tract and free airflow. They are the “music” of speech Examples: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/

Vowels