The Classification And Description Of Speech Sounds English Language Essay

The Classification And Description Of nomenclature Sounds side Language EssaySpeech hold ups are broadly divided into ii categories, namely, Vowels and Consonants. If we say the position intelligence shoe, we realize that this banter is made up of two ripes, genius represent by the permitter sh and the garner oe. When we puzzle the leger stand for the letter sh slowly, we realize that during the performance this well(p), the credit line escapes by means of the mouth freely and we do non hear any grinding. The sound that is stand for by the letter sh in the word shoe is a consonant and the sound represented by the letters oe in the word shoe is Vowel. (All sounds during the production of which we hear friction are consonants, barely not all consonants are produced with friction). This give be talk abouted under the type of consonants in this chapter.If we say the spoken language she, shoe, shy, show, ship and shout, we will realize that when we produce the sounds represented by the letters e, oe, y, ow,i and ou in these words, the commit escapes by means of the mouth freely without any friction. All these sounds are at that placefore vowels but each single of them sounds different form the others. These sounds should therefore be sub-classified. Similarly, if we say the words shoe, see, zoo, and who, we will hear friction during production of the sounds represented by the letters sh, s, z and wh. All the se sounds are therefore consonants. But once once more we will see that each of them sounds different from the others. The sounds that are called consonants also aim to be sub-classified. In the chapter we will take up the classification and comment of consonants.To describe a consonant sound, we wish certain important pieces of infor distortion. We need to know the following regarding its productionthe mail stream apparatusthe asseverate of the glottisthe smear of the easily-palatethe ready articulatorthe unresisting a rticulatorthe stenosis heterogeneous.Let us discuss these in most detail.The picnic -stream mechanism All English sounds (vowels as well as consonants) are produced with a pulmonic egressive air-stream mechanism, i.e., lung-air pushed out.The state of glottis Speech sounds can be classified laborious or voiced, depending upon whether the strain stack are wide apart and the glottis is wide dependent (voiceless) or the blunt corduroys are kept in general together and they brandish (voiced).The position of the spongy-palate Speech sounds can be classified as verbal or os pennilesse, depending upon whether the crackers-palate is raised so as to turn out bump off the nasal transition of air (oral) or it is disdained to unfold the nasal passage of air simultaneously with an oral closure (nasal). Sounds can also be nasalized.And (e) The dynamic and supine articulators Of the several(a) articulations described, at least two are infallible for the production of any speech sound somewhat articulators move during the production of speech sounds. These are termed sprightly articulators. Certain other articulators remain unresisting and the active articulators move in the direction of these. These are termed passive articulator. The lower tip and the tongue are the active articulators. The speeding mouthpiece and the spotless roof of the mouth are the passive articulators. It should be remembered, however, that the amphetamine rima oris and the soft palate are capable of independent movement but when either of these is one of the articulators involved in the production of a sound, it is unendingly the other articulator (the lower lip in the case of the upper lip and the back of the tongue in the case of the soft palate) that moves towards these. So the upper lip and the soft palate are considered passive articulators.The stricture involved The term stricture continues to the way in which the passage of air is restricted by the various o rgans of speech.Let us study the various types of strictures in detail.Complete closure and abrupt qualifying The stricture may be one of unload closure, i.e., the active articulators come into business firm shock with each other, thus preventing the lung-air from escaping through the mouth. Simultaneously there is a velic closure, i.e., the soft palate is raised, thereby ending off the nasal passage of air. and so the lung-air blocked in the mouth. When the oral closure is released, i.e., when the active articulator is suddenly remove from the passive articulator, the air escapes with a small explosive to-do. Sounds produced with a stricture of complete closure and sudden releases are called Plosive. The initial sounds in the English word pin, bin, tin, din, kin, and gun are plosives.Complete closure and sudden release If after blocking the oral and the nasal passages of air, the oral closure is remove slowly, i.e., if the active articulator is removed slowly from the pa ssive articulator, instead of the explosive noise that is characteristic of plosive consonants, friction will be heard. Sounds that are produced with a stricture of complete closure and slow release are called Affricatives. The initial sounds in the English word chin and jam are affricative consonants.Complete oral closure the active and passive articulators are in firm contact with each other, thereby blocking off the oral passage of air completely. But the soft palate is lowered so that there is a velic opening, i.e., the nasal passage of air is opened. The lung-air will then escape through the nostrils freely. Sounds that are articulate with a stricture of complete oral closure are called Nasals. The final sounds in the English words sum, sun, and sung are some examples of nasal consonants.Intermittent closure The soft palate is raised, thereby shutting off the nasal passage of air. The active articulator strikes against the passive articulator several times with the result tha t the air escapes between the active and passive articulators intermittently. Such a stricture is termed intermitted closure. Sounds that are render with a stricture of intermittent closure are called trills or rolled consonants. The letter r in English words like red and ran is pronounced as a trill by most Scottish people.For some consonants the active articulator strikes against the passive articulator just once and then quickly flap forward. Such consonants are called taps or flaps. The letter r in very is pronounced as a tap by some English people.Close contiguity The active articulator is brought so close to the passive articulator that there is a very narrow gap between them. The soft palate is raised so as to shut off the nasal passage of air. The lung-air escapes through the narrow space between the active and passive articulators, producing audible friction. Sounds that are articulated with a stricture of close approximation are called Fricatives. The initial sounds in the English word five, vine, thin, then, sip, zip, sheep and hat are fricatives.Partial closure the active and passive articulators are in firm contact with each other. The soft palate is raised, thereby shutting off the nasal passage of air. If the sides of the tongue are lowered so that there is plenty of gap between the sides of the tongue and the upper molar teeth, the air will escape along the sides of the tongue without any friction. Sounds that are articulated with a stricture of complete closure in the centre of the vocal tract but with the air escaping along the sides of the tongue without any friction are called laterals. The initial sound in the English word heat is a lateral.Open approximation The soft palate is raised, thereby shutting off the nasal passage of air. If the active articulator is brought close to the passive articulator so that the gap between them is wide the air will escape through this gap without any friction. Sounds that are articulated with a strict ure of open approximation are called frictionless continuants and semi vowels. In fact beam Ladefoged uses the term approximants to refer to sounds that are articulated with a stricture of open approximation.Having looked in detail at the six points referred to at beginning of this chapter let us describe some consonant sounds with reference to the six points.The sound represented by the letter p in the English word spyThe air stream mechanism is pulmonic egresssive.The vocal cords are drawn apart. The glottis is open. The sound is voiceless.The soft palate is raised and the nasal passage of air is shut off completely. The sound is oral.The active articulator is the upper lip.The passive articulator is the lower lip.The stricture is one of complete closure and sudden release the sound articulated is a plosive.The sound represented by the letter s in the English word spyThe air-stream mechanism is pulmonic egressive.The vocal cords are drawn apart. The glottis is wide open. The soun d is voiceless.The soft palate is raised and the nasal passage of air is shut off completely. The sound is oral.The active articulator is the blade of the tongue.The passive articulator is the teeth ridge.The stricture is one of close approximation. The sound articulated is a fricative.The sound represented by the letter n in the English word dactylThe air-stream mechanism is pulmonic egressive.The vocal cords are kept loosely together. They vibrate and the sound is voiced.The soft palate is lowered. The nasal passage of air is open.The sound is nasal.The active articulator is the back of the tongue.The passive articulator is the soft palate.The stricture is one of complete oral closure. The sound articulated is a nasal.The sound represented by the letter v in the English word vineThe air-stream mechanism is pulmonic egressive.The vocal cords are kept loosely together. They vibrate and the sound is voiced.The soft palate is raised and the nasal passage of air is shut off completely . The sound is oral.The active articulator is the lower lip.The passive articulators are the upper front teeth.The stricture is one of close approximation. The sound articulated is a fricative.Three-term labels Consonants are described using three-term labels. The three term refer to (a ) the state of glottis, (b)the place of articulation and (c) the manner of articulation. The three terms should be arranged in the order in which they have been listed above. Some consonants are described below with three-term labels.The letter p in the English word spy represents a voiceless bilabial plosive.The letter d in the English word dear represents a voiced alveolar plosive.The letter k in the English word sky represents a voiceless velar plosive.The letter ch in the English word cheap represents a voiceless palate-alveolar affricative.The letter m in the English word mat represents a voiced bilabial nasal.The letter n in the English word finger represents a voiced velar nasal.The letter y in the English word yes represents a voiced palatal approximant. (Semi-vowel).