Linguistics | Introduction to Articulatory Phonetics

Linguistics

 

 Introduction to Articulatory Phonetics

The Airstream Mechanism and Speech Organs

 Speech Production

The speech organs enable us to articulate the sounds we can use in the languages we know. The whole airstream mechanism will be explained and all the steps involved in the production of speech are highlighted. Without these essential elements, we cannot describe the sounds accurately and explain the interactions of sounds in various phonetic environments.

ARTICULATORY PHONETICS :

THE ORAL TRACT: ACTIVE vs PASSIVE ARTICULATORS

 

Articulators are divided into 2 parts: o The active articulators (lower lip and tongue) o The passive articulators (the upper surfaces of the oral tract). 

 ❑ The inactive articulators are the non-mobile parts – the upper lip, the teeth, the roof of the mouth and the pharynx divider. The roof of the mouth is advance subdivided into alveolar edge, difficult sense of taste, delicate sense of taste (or velum) and uvula. 

 The tip, edge, front, back and root; the front and back together are alluded to as the body.

 

Speech Production: Consonant Articulation 

1. How are consonants made? 

2.What’s the mechanism used to produce consonants? 

3.How are consonants classified? 

Speech Production: Consonant Articulation “A consonant sound is formed when the airstream is restricted or stopped at some point in the vocal tract. That is, consonants are produced with some narrowing or obstruction of the articulatory passageway”.