Phonetics: The Sounds of Language The Phonetic Alphabet

What is Phonetics?
and classification of speech sounds, including their production, transmission, and reception. Pei Mario (1966) 205.

Phonetics: The science, study, analysis

The main branches

physical properties of the sounds. Auditory phonetics- studies listeners perception of these sounds. Articulatory phonetics- how the vocal tract produces the sounds.

Acoustic phonetics- deals with the

History
Although phonetics has a long history the
first serious attempt to codify a universal phonetic alphabet encompassing a symbol for every known speech sound began with the International Phonetic Association (IPA) in 1888. It was continued by Daniel Jones and Paul Passy two influential British linguists. IPA Homepage. tm

History
Daniel Jones demonstrates a
air pressure and speech movements and a palatogram to help adult foreigners learn to speak English like a native and acquire good pronunciation. http://waij.com/oldbooks/phonetics

kymograph i.e. a device for recording

Table 6.6 Phonetic Symbols

Table 6.6 on page 264-265 of you text
gives the Phonetic Symbol/English Spelling Correspondences for American English consonants and vowels.

The anatomy of a phonetic transcription

Word Though

Transcription [ ]

Step # 1 Break word into constituent elements

Though

[th-ou-gh]

Step # 2 Assign correct phonetic symbols to each unit

Though th= ? ou=? gh=?

[th-ou-gh]

Step # 2 Assign correct phonetic symbols to each unit

Though

[th-ou-gh]

th= ou=o gh=silent

Correct Phonetic Transcription

Spelling Though

Pronunciation [o ]

Practice # 2

Spelling Thought

Pronunciation [ ]

Practice # 2 Assign correct phonetic symbols to each unit

Thought [th-ou-ght] th= ou= gh=silent t=t

Transcription # 2

Spelling Thought

Pronunciation [t]

Practice # 3

Spelling rough

Pronunciation [ ]

Transcription # 3

Spelling rough

Pronunciation [rf]

Practice # 4

Spelling bough

Pronunciation [ ]

Transcription # 4

Spelling bough

Pronunciation [baw]

Practice # 5

Spelling Through

Pronunciation [ ]

Transcription # 5

Spelling Through

Pronunciation [ru]

Practice # 6

Spelling would

Pronunciation [ ]

Transcription # 6

Spelling would

Pronunciation [wUd]

French Transcription

Spelling tu

Pronunciation [ ]

French Transcription

Spelling tu

Pronunciation [ty]

The pice de rsistance question 8 page 270-271

Write a phonetic transcription of the italicized words in the poem entitled English published long ago in a British newspaper.

The English Poem

I take it you already know Of tough and bough and cough and dough? Some may stumble, but not you, On hiccough, thorough, slough and through? So now you are ready, perhaps, To learn of less familiar traps? Beware of heard, a dreadful word That looks like beard and sounds like bird . And dead , its said like bed, not bead; For goodness sake, dont call it deed ! Watch out for meat and great and threat . (They rhyme with suite and straight and debt .) A moth is not a moth in mother , Nor both in bother, broth in brother .

The English poem line 1

I take it you already know

The English poem line 1

I take it you already know Know= [no]

Line 2

Of tough and bough and

cough and dough?

Line # 2 transcribed

Of tough [tf] and bough

[baw] and cough [kf] and dough [do]?

Line 3

Some may stumble, but not

you

Line 3 transcribed

Some may stumble, but not

you [ju]

Line 4

On hiccough, thorough,
slough and through?

Line 4 transcribed

thorough [ro], slough [slu] and through [ru]?

On hiccough [hkp],

Line 5 and 6

So now you are ready,

perhaps, To learn of less familiar traps?

Line 7

Beware of heard, a dreadful

word

Line 7 transcribed

Beware of heard [hrd], a

dreadful word [wrd]

Line 8

That looks like beard and

sounds like bird.

Line 8 transcribed

That looks like beard [bird]

and sounds like bird [brd].

Line 9

And dead, its said like bed,

not bead;

Line 9 transcribed

[sd] like bed [bd], not bead [bid];

And dead [dd], its said

Line 10

For goodness sake, dont call

it deed!

Line 10 transcribed

For goodness sake, dont call

it deed [did]!

Line 11

Watch out for meat and

great and threat.

Line 11 transcribed

Watch out for meat [mit] and

great [gret] and threat
[rt].

Line 12

(They rhyme with suite and

straight and debt.)

Line 12 transcribed

(They rhyme with suite [swit]

and straight [stret] and debt [dt].)

Line 13

A moth is not a moth in

mother

Line 13 transcribed

A moth [m] is not a moth in

mother [mr]

Line 14

Nor both in bother, broth

in brother.

Line 14 transcribed

Nor both [bo] in bother

[bar], broth [br] in brother [brr].

Finished Poem
I take it you already know [no] Of tough [tf] and bough [baw] and cough [kf] and dough

[do]? Some may stumble, but not you [ju], On hiccough [hkp], thorough [ro], slough [slu] and through [ru]? So now you are ready, perhaps, To learn of less familiar traps? Beware of heard [hrd], a dreadful word [wrd] That looks like beard [bird] and sounds like bird [brd]. And dead [dd], its said [sd] like bed [bd], not bead [bid]; For goodness sake, dont call it deed [did]! Watch out for meat [mit] and great [gret] and threat [rt]. (They rhyme with suite [swit] and straight [stret] and debt [dt].) A moth [m] is not a moth in mother [mr] Nor both [bo] in bother [bar], broth [br] in brother [brr].

References
Fromkin , V. & Rodman, R. An
Introduction to Language, 7th edition.

Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace. pp. 231-271. www2.arts.gla.ac.uk/IPA/IPA.html http://waij.com/oldbooks/phonetics