Student´s name: Abad Joseph Hernandez Soto Account #: 20191001273
PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY
Questionnaire 1
Chapter 5: Phonetics
INSTRUCTIONS:
Watch the videos. Then read Chapter 5, pages 189- 215 in the book An Introduction
to Language. Then answer each of the following questions completely. A space is
provided write each answer here. Use Calibri size 12 in BLUE color to write your
answers.
1. Define the following terms:
a) Grapheme: is the smallest unit of a writing system that represents a sound or
meaning in a language.
b) Phone: refers to any distinct speech sound, regardless of whether it carries
meaning or not
c) Phoneme: the smallest unit of sound that can distinguish meaning in a language
word.
d) Orthography: This is a science- why most devices way from the send song to always
be spelled with the same letter, and for the sound-letter to always represent the
same song.
e) Segment: can be vowels or consonants and are considered the fundamental
components into which a speech chain is divided.
2. Is orthography the same as phonemic transcription? Explain why or why not.
No, orthography is not the same as phonemic transcription. Orthography refers to a
language’s conventional spelling system, which is often inconsistent in representing
pronunciation. In contrast, phonemic transcription uses symbols (like the IPA) to
consistently and accurately represent speech sounds.
3. What is the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)? Why is it important to understand
it? Why is it used?
Is a standardized system of symbols used to represent the sound of spoken languages.
4. Are all sounds in English pronounced the same way wherever the language is spoken?
Explain why or why not.
No, not all sounds in English are pronounced the same way everywhere. English has many
dialects and accents, which affect pronunciation.
5. What are vowel sounds and how many are there (list them)? What are consonant
sounds and how many are there (list them)? What is the difference between the two?
Consonants: are produced with some restriction or closure in the vocal track that
impedes airflow from the lung. In English, there are 24 consonant sounds, including:
/p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /f/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /h/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /l/,
/r/, /j/, /w/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/.
Vowel sounds: are speech sounds produced without significant constriction or
blockage of airflow in the vocal tract. There are around 20 vowel sounds in English,
depending on the dialect. The IPA vowel sounds in English include:
• Monophthongs: /iː/, /ɪ/, /e/, /æ/, /ɑː/, /ɒ/, /ɔː/, /ʊ/, /uː/, /ʌ/, /ɜː/,
/ə/
• Diphthongs: /eɪ/, /aɪ/, /ɔɪ/, /əʊ/, /aʊ/, /ɪə/, /eə/, /ʊə/
- Difference between vowels and consonants: The main difference is that vowels are
produced with an open vocal tract, allowing unrestricted airflow, while consonants
involve some obstruction or narrowing of the vocal tract. Vowels typically form the
core of syllables, whereas consonants are used to shape and define words.
6. List the parts of the vocal tract. Type them in the spaces provided below.
1. Nasal Cavity 7. Tongue 13. Vocal Cords
2. Alveolar ridge 8. Uvula
3. Hard Palate 9. Epiglottis
4. Soft Palate 10. Glottis
5. Lips 11. Trachea
6. Teeth 12. Esophagus
7. There are several classes of consonants according to places of articulation. What are
the eight (8) places of articulation? List them, name the organ(s) used to produce
them, and write one example of a sound produced in each place. See pages 195-197.
The first one is done for you. See the example below.
1. Bilabials: upper and lower lip, for example,/m/.
2. Labiodentals: touching the bottom lip to the upper teeth /v/.
3. Interdentals: The tip of the tongue between the teeth /Ɵ/.
4. Alveolars: tongue raised in various ways to the alveolar ridge /t/.
5. Palatals: raising the front part of the tongue to the palate /ᶴ/.
6. Velars: raising the back of the tongue to the soft palate or venum /g/.
7. Uvular: Reising the back of the tongue to the uvula /q/.
8. Glottal: the flow of air through the open glottis and past the tongue and lips as
they prepare to pronounce a vowel sound /h/.
8. Consonant sounds are also classified according to manners of articulation. What are
the sixteen (16) manners of articulation? List them and write two examples of sounds
produced. See pages 197-203. The first one is done for you. See the example below.
1. Voiced: /g/, /z/
2. Voiceless – /p/, /s/
3. Plosive (Stop) – /p/, /t/
4. Nasal – /m/, /n/
5. Trill – /r/ (Spanish), /ʀ/ (French)
6. Tap or Flap – /ɾ/ (as in “butter” in American English)
7. Fricative – /f/, /v/
8. Affricate – /tʃ/ (as in “chop”), /dʒ/ (as in “judge”)
9. Lateral Approximant – /l/
10. Lateral Fricative – /ɬ/, /ɮ/ (common in Welsh)
11. Lateral Affricate – /tɬ/, /dɮ/ (found in some Indigenous languages)
12. Approximant – /j/ (as in “yes”), /w/ (as in “water”)
13. Glottal – /ʔ/ (glottal stop, as in “uh-oh”)
14. Labialized – /w/
15. Palatalized – /ʃ/ (as in “she”)
16. Velarized – /ɫ/ (as in dark “l” in “full”)
9. Write the phonetic features of the classification of vowel sounds and mention the
vowels which are part of each. See page 205-208.
Vowel sounds are classified based on tongue height, tongue position, and lip rounding.
Here is a basic classification:
1. Height (High, Mid, Low)
• High vowels: /iː/, /ɪ/, /uː/, /ʊ/
• Mid vowels: /e/, /ə/, /ɜː/, /ɔː/
• Low vowels: /æ/, /ʌ/, /ɑː/
2. Backness (Front, Central, Back)
• Front vowels: /iː/, /ɪ/, /e/, /æ/
• Central vowels: /ə/, /ɜː/, /ʌ/
• Back vowels: /uː/, /ʊ/, /ɔː/, /ɑː/
3. Rounding (Rounded, Unrounded)
• Rounded vowels: /uː/, /ʊ/, /ɔː/
• Unrounded vowels: /iː/, /ɪ/, /e/, /æ/, /ɑː/, /ʌ/, /ɜː/, /ə/
10. Provide examples of two words where these vowel sounds occur (check the IPA if
necessary).
Example: [I]: bit, hit
1. /o / - boat [boʊt], go [goʊ].
2. / i / - beat [bit], seat [sit].
3. /u / - boot [buːt], suit [suːt].
4. /e/ - bait [beɪt], cake [keɪk].
REFERENCES:
1. Escalante, A. (2025). Phonetics material.
2. Wikipedia. (2025). Phonetics. Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonetics
3. Jones, D. (2019). Phonetics: The Sounds of Language. Cengage Learning.
