Trần Nguyên Lâm
Summary of Chapter 2: Introduction to Phonetics
1. The Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system used to represent speech sounds
accurately.
Unlike regular spelling, each IPA symbol corresponds to only one sound.
This helps linguists analyze pronunciation across different languages without spelling
inconsistencies.
2. The Speech Organs
Speech sounds are produced by the respiratory system (lungs), larynx (voice box), and
articulators (tongue, lips, etc.).
Key speech organs and their roles:
o Lungs: Provide airflow needed for speech.
o Vocal cords (in the larynx): Vibrate to create voiced sounds (e.g., /b/, /d/) or
remain open for voiceless sounds (e.g., /p/, /t/).
o Articulators:
Tongue: Moves to create different speech sounds.
Lips: Shape sounds like /p/ and /m/.
Teeth & Alveolar Ridge: Help produce sounds like /t/, /d/, and /s/.
Velum (Soft Palate): Controls airflow into the nose for nasal sounds.
3. The English Consonants
Consonants are produced by restricting airflow in different ways.
They are classified based on:
o Voicing: Whether the vocal cords vibrate (voiced vs. voiceless).
o Place of articulation: Where in the mouth the sound is made (e.g., bilabial,
alveolar).
o Manner of articulation: How the airflow is restricted (e.g., stops, fricatives).
o The English Consonant Chart
4. English Vowels
Vowels are produced without significant obstruction in the vocal tract.
They are classified based on tongue position, lip shape, and tension.
4.1. Tongue Position (Height & Backness)
Height: How high or low the tongue is in the mouth.
o High vowels: /i:/ (see), /ɪ/ (bit), /u:/ (blue), /ʊ/ (book)
o Mid vowels: /e/ (bed), /ə/ (sofa), /ɜ:/ (bird), /ɔ:/ (law)
o Low vowels: /æ/ (cat), /ʌ/ (cup), /ɑ:/ (car)
Backness: How far forward or back the tongue is.
o Front vowels: /i:/, /ɪ/, /e/, /æ/
o Central vowels: /ə/, /ɜ:/, /ʌ/
o Back vowels: /u:/, /ʊ/, /ɔ:/, /ɑ:/
4.2. Lip Rounding
Rounded vowels: /u:/, /ʊ/, /ɔ:/
Unrounded vowels: /i:/, /ɪ/, /e/, /æ/, /ə/, /ɜ:/, /ʌ/, /ɑ:/
4.3. Tenseness (Tense vs. Lax Vowels)
Tense vowels: /i:/, /u:/, /ɔ:/, /ɑ:/ → Longer and require more tongue tension.
Lax vowels: /ɪ/, /ʊ/, /e/, /æ/, /ə/, /ɜ:/, /ʌ/ → Shorter and more relaxed.
4.4. Monophthongs vs. Diphthongs
Monophthongs: Single, steady vowel sounds (e.g., /i:/ in see).
Diphthongs: A combination of two vowel sounds within the same syllable (e.g., /aɪ/ in
time, /ɔɪ/ in boy).
Exercises
1. Spelling System and Phonetic Transcription
(a) Find four words where the sound [k] is spelled differently:
Cat, school, chemist, queue
(b) Find four words where the letter "e" is pronounced differently:
Me (/i:/), bed (/e/), earth (/ɜ:/), open (/əʊ/)
(c) Find four words where a combination of letters represents one sound:
Ship (/ʃ/), phone (/f/), knight (/n/), rough (/f/)
(d) Find four words where one letter represents more than one sound:
Exit (/gz/), exam (/gz/), use (/juː/ or /ʌ/), union (/j/)
(e) Find four words where a letter does not stand for any sound:
Knee (silent "k"), hour (silent "h"), doubt (silent "b"), comb (silent "b")
2. Identifying Vowel Sounds
Determine if each pair of words contains the same vowel sound and transcribe them.
(a) nine - price → Same sound: /aɪ/
(b) hit - key → Different sounds: /ɪ/ vs. /iː/
(c) put - but → Different sounds: /ʊ/ vs. /ʌ/
(d) house - court → Different sounds: /aʊ/ vs. /ɔ:/
(e) back - drawn → Different sounds: /æ/ vs. /ɔ:/
(f) cake - leg → Different sounds: /eɪ/ vs. /e/
(g) flow - boat → Same sound: /əʊ/
(h) ounce - flour → Same sound: /aʊ/
(i) play - drag → Different sounds: /eɪ/ vs. /æ/
(j) full - fool → Different sounds: /ʊ/ vs. /uː/
3. Phonetic Transcription
Here are the transcriptions of the given words:
(a) awesome → /ˈɔːsəm/
(b) mailbox → /ˈmeɪlbɒks/
(c) hopping → /ˈhɒpɪŋ/
(d) announce → /əˈnaʊns/
(e) cooler → /ˈkuːlər/
(f) stun → /stʌn/
(g) playground → /ˈpleɪɡraʊnd/
(h) lucky → /ˈlʌki/
(i) thought → /θɔːt/
(j) notebook → /ˈnəʊtbʊk/
(k) agreement → /əˈɡriːmənt/
(l) psychology → /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/
(m) knight → /naɪt/
(n) nature → /ˈneɪtʃər/
(o) straight → /streɪt/
(p) hour → /aʊər/
(q) written → /ˈrɪtn/
(r) needed → /ˈniːdɪd/
(s) height → /haɪt/
(t) juice → /dʒuːs/
4. Identifying Mistakes in Transcriptions
Each transcription contains one mistake. Below are the corrections:
(a) strength [strenɡθ] Correct: [streŋθ]
(b) crime [craɪm] Incorrect /c/ Correct: [kraɪm]
(c) wishing [wɪshɪn] Incorrect /n/ Correct: [wɪʃɪŋ]
(d) wives [waɪvs] Incorrect /s/ Correct: [waɪvz]
(e) these [ðɪz] Incorrect vowel Correct: [ðiːz]
(f) hijacking [haɪdʒækɪn] Incorrect /dʒ/ Correct: [haɪdʒækɪŋ]
(g) chipping [zɪpɪŋ] Incorrect /z/ Correct: [ʧɪpɪŋ]
(h) yelling [jeln] Missing vowel Correct: [jɛlɪŋ]
(i) shut [sut] Incorrect vowel Correct: [ʃʌt]
(j) child [ʧɪld] Incorrect vowel Correct: [ʧaɪld]
(k) football [futbol] Incorrect /u/ Correct: [fʊtbɔːl]
(l) tiptoe [tɪpto] Missing /ʊ/ Correct: [tɪptəʊ]
(m) avoid [ævɔɪd] Incorrect /æ/ Correct: [əˈvɔɪd]
(n) remain [rɪmæn] Incorrect vowel Correct: [rɪˈmeɪn]
(o) umbrella [umbrele] Incorrect /e/ Correct: [ʌmˈbrɛlə]
(p) joyful [joʊfʊl] Incorrect /oʊ/ Correct: [ˈdʒɔɪfʊl]