Phonetics - Part 2

 

Phonetics

Part 2 

-Phonetics Part 1

-  Phonetics Part 3

-  Phonetics Part 4

 Content:

·      Phonatory system - Larynx

·      Phonatory system - Whisper

·      Phonatory system - Glottis

·      Articulation

·      Active Articulation - Tongue

·      Active Articulation - Lower Lips

·      Passive Articulation - Upper teeth

·      Use of Gumridge in Passive Articulation

 

Phonatory system - Larynx

The larynx, also known as the voice box, is an important part of our body that helps us speak. It is located in our throat, right above the tube that carries air to our lungs. The main job of the larynx is to make sound for talking and to protect our airway when we swallow.

The larynx is made up of different parts like cartilages (which are strong tissues), muscles, and other structures. The biggest cartilage in the larynx is called the thyroid cartilage, and it's what makes the bump in the front of the neck called the Adam's apple, especially in men. There is also a leaf-shaped cartilage called the epiglottis that sits on top of the larynx and helps keep food and drink from going into our airway when we eat or drink.

Inside the larynx, there are two muscular folds called vocal cords. They are covered with a soft layer and are really important for making sound. When we talk, the vocal cords vibrate as we push air through them, and this creates sound. How high or low our voice sounds depends on the length, thickness, and tightness of our vocal cords.

The muscles in the larynx help control the movement and tension of the vocal cords. There are some muscles that are inside the larynx and some that are connected to other parts outside the larynx. They work together to help us make different sounds and control the loudness of our voice.

Besides helping us talk, the larynx also helps protect our airway. When something gets near our vocal cords that shouldn't be there, like food or something irritating, the larynx can quickly close to prevent it from going into our airway. This can cause us to cough forcefully and get rid of the unwanted stuff.

In summary, the larynx is an important part of our body that helps us talk. It has different parts like cartilages and muscles, and it houses the vocal cords that vibrate to make sound. The larynx also helps protect our airway by closing and causing us to cough if something goes near our vocal cords that shouldn't be there.

Phonatory system - Whisper

The phonatory system is part of how we make sounds with our voice. It includes different parts in our throat and voice box that work together to create sound. When we whisper, we make sounds without using our vocal cords.

Whispering is a way of talking quietly or silently. When we whisper, our vocal cords are relaxed and don't vibrate like they do when we speak normally. Instead, we let air pass through them without making any sound.

 

Here are a few things that happen when we whisper:

 

·      Our vocal cords are loose and not touching each other.

·      We blow air a little harder to make up for the lack of vibration.

·      We still shape our mouth and tongue to form words, but the sound is very soft and breathy.

·      Whispering is much quieter than regular speech because there is no vibration to make the sound louder.

·      Whispering is useful when we need to talk quietly, like in a library or when we want to keep a secret. However, it can be harder to understand someone when they whisper because the sound is so quiet and different from normal speech.

 

It's important to know that even when we whisper, there is still some sound produced, and people nearby can still hear it to some extent.

Phonatory system - Glottis

The glottis is a part of our voice box called the larynx. It helps us make sounds when we speak. The glottis has two vocal folds, or vocal cords, and a space in between them. When we breathe, the vocal folds are apart, and air can pass through easily.

But when we talk, the glottis changes. The vocal folds can come together, and when air from our lungs goes through the narrow glottis, it makes the vocal folds vibrate. This vibration creates the pitch of our voice. By changing how tight or thick the vocal folds are, we can make different pitches and sounds.

The glottis also helps us make specific speech sounds. It controls how long the vocal folds stay closed, which affects the sounds we produce. For example, in English, sounds like "p," "t," and "k" are made by briefly closing the glottis and then opening it. This makes them sound "voiceless." On the other hand, sounds like "b," "d," and "g" are made by closing the glottis and letting the vocal folds vibrate, creating "voiced" sounds.

In simple terms, the glottis is important for speaking. It helps us control airflow, make different pitches, and produce different sounds.

Articulation

Articulation in phonetics is about how we move our mouth and other parts of our body to make different sounds when we speak. Our lips, tongue, jaw, and vocal cords work together to create these sounds.

When we talk, our mouth and throat make different shapes and movements to produce different sounds. This is called articulation. It's like a dance that our mouth does to make words.

 

Articulation can be divided into two main parts: "place of articulation" and "manner of articulation."

 

Place of Articulation: This means where in our mouth the sounds are made. For example, some sounds are made by pressing our lips together (like the sounds /p/ and /m/), while others are made by touching the tip of our tongue to the roof of our mouth (like the sounds /t/ and /s/).

 

Manner of Articulation: This describes how the sounds are made. Some sounds are made by stopping the airflow completely and then releasing it (like the sound /p/), while others are made by letting the airflow pass through a narrow opening (like the sound /s/).

 

By combining different places and manners of articulation, we can create all the different sounds of language. These sounds are like building blocks that we use to form words and communicate with others.

Understanding articulation helps us study and understand how sounds are made and how they are used in different languages. It's an important part of studying language and communication.

Active Articulation - Tongue

Active articulation refers to how we move our mouth to make different sounds when we speak. Our tongue plays an important role in shaping our mouth to create these sounds. Here are some ways our tongue moves:

 

Apical Articulation: We use the tip of our tongue to touch certain parts of our mouth to make sounds. For example, when we say the "t" sound in English, the tip of our tongue touches the bumpy ridge behind our top front teeth.

 

Laminal Articulation: The area just behind the tip of our tongue is called the blade. We use the blade of our tongue to make sounds like "s" in English. We bring the front part of our tongue close to or touch the bumpy ridge behind our top front teeth.

 

Dorsal Articulation: The back part of our tongue is called the dorsum. We use the dorsum to make sounds like "k" and "g" in English. We make a tight space by touching the back of our tongue to the soft part at the back of the roof of our mouth and then release it to make the sound.

 

Retroflex Articulation: Sometimes we curl the tip of our tongue backward towards the roof of our mouth to make certain sounds. This happens in languages like Hindi. For example, in Hindi, the "ṭ" sound is made by curling the tip of the tongue back and touching the hard part of the roof of the mouth.

 

Velar Articulation: The back of our tongue touches the soft part at the back of the roof of our mouth, called the velum, to make sounds like "k" and "g" in English.

 

Palatal Articulation: The middle part of our tongue, called the body, touches the hard part of the roof of our mouth to make sounds like the "y" sound in the word "yes."

 

Remember, these examples are just some of the ways our tongue moves to make different sounds. The exact positions and movements of our tongue can vary depending on the sound and the language we're speaking.

Active Articulation - Lower Lips

The bottom part of your lips is important for making certain speech sounds. It helps make your speech clear and easy to understand. Here are a few examples of how your lower lips are used when you speak:

 

Making lip sounds: Your lower lips are used to make sounds that involve your lips. For example, when you say words like "pat" or "bat," your lower lip touches or gets close to your upper lip to create a specific sound.

 

Making sounds with your teeth and lower lip: Your lower lip is also involved in making sounds where your upper teeth touch your lower lip. For example, when you say words like "fine" or "vine," your lower lip helps create the sounds.

 

Supporting your tongue: Sometimes, when you make sounds with your tongue against your teeth or between your teeth, your lower lip can help support and steady your tongue.

 

Showing emotions and emphasis: Your lower lips also help express emotions and add emphasis to your speech. They can change the shape and tension of your mouth, creating different facial expressions and adding feeling to what you say.

 

It's important to know that the specific role of your lower lips can be different in different languages and dialects. Also, each person may use their lower lips slightly differently when they speak.

Passive Articulation - Upper teeth

Passive articulation refers to the articulatory features of speech sounds that involve the absence of active movement. In the case of upper teeth, they can play a passive role in the production of certain sounds.

 

One such sound is the fricative consonant /θ/ as in the word "think." This sound is produced by placing the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower teeth, with the upper teeth acting as a passive articulator. Air is then forced through the small gap between the tongue and the teeth, creating a hissing sound.

 

Another sound that involves the upper teeth passively is the dental approximant /ɹ̪/. This sound is used in some accents of English, particularly in North America, where the "r" sound is produced with the tip of the tongue lightly touching or approaching the upper teeth. The upper teeth serve as a passive point of contact for the tongue during the production of this sound.

It's important to note that in both cases, the active articulators are the tongue and the lower teeth, while the upper teeth act as passive points of contact or landmarks for the articulatory gestures involved in producing these sounds.

Use of Gumridge in Passive Articulation

In phonetics, the gumridge, also known as the alveolum, is the bony ridge behind the upper teeth. It is a passive articulator, which means that it is the stationary part of the vocal tract that the active articulator (usually the tongue) touches or gets close to.

The gumridge is used in the articulation of a number of consonant sounds, including:

 

alveolar consonants: These are consonants that are produced by the tongue touching or approaching the gumridge. Examples of alveolar consonants include /t/, /d/, /n/, and /l/.

 

postalveolar consonants: These are consonants that are produced by the tongue touching or approaching the gumridge and the hard palate. Examples of postalveolar consonants include /ʃ/, /ʒ/, and /r/.

 

The gumridge is also used in the articulation of some vowels, such as the high front vowel /i/. In this case, the tongue is raised towards the gumridge, but it does not actually touch it.

The use of the gumridge in passive articulation is an important part of the production of many consonant and vowel sounds. By understanding how the gumridge is used, we can better understand the phonetics of different languages.

Here are some additional examples of how the gumridge is used in passive articulation:

 

In the English word "top," the /t/ sound is produced by the tongue touching the gumridge.

 

In the Spanish word "casa," the /s/ sound is produced by the tongue approaching the gumridge.

 

In the French word "riz," the /i/ sound is produced by the tongue raising towards the gumridge.