1.
Introduction to Phonetics
Definition:
Phonetics is the branch of language study that deals with speech sounds. In simple
words, it is the science of how we make sounds when we speak, how those sounds
travel through the air, and how other people hear and understand them.
• When we talk about production, we mean how our mouth, tongue, lips, and
vocal cords work together to produce different sounds.
• When we talk about transmission, we mean how the sound waves move
from the speaker’s mouth to the listener’s ear.
• When we talk about reception, we mean how the ear hears the sounds and
the brain recognizes them as words and meanings.
So, phonetics helps us study the complete journey of a sound—from the speaker’s
mouth to the listener’s brain.
Why is it important for Students?
Phonetics is very important for students, especially for those in engineering and
technical fields, because:
1. Better Pronunciation:
It helps us learn the correct way to say words. For example, many learners
confuse words like ship and sheep. Phonetics makes us aware of the
difference in sound so that we pronounce them correctly.
2. Effective Communication:
As future engineers, you will often have to give presentations, attend
interviews, work in teams, and maybe even interact with people from
different countries. Clear pronunciation and proper speech make
communication easier and more professional.
3. Neutral/Standard Accent:
In India, we speak English with different regional accents. Sometimes this
can create confusion. Phonetics helps us move towards a neutral or standard
accent so that everyone can understand us without difficulty, whether in
India or abroad.
4. Confidence in Speaking:
When you know how to pronounce words correctly, you naturally feel more
confident in conversations, public speaking, or interviews.
2. Branches of Phonetics
Phonetics is a big subject, so it is divided into three main branches. Each branch
studies sounds from a different angle.
1. Articulatory Phonetics
This branch studies how speech sounds are produced in our mouth. It looks at the
role of our tongue, lips, teeth, vocal cords, and lungs in making different sounds.
• For example: The sound /p/ (as in pen) is made by closing the lips and
releasing air.
• The sound /b/ (as in bat) is also made by closing the lips, but with vibration
of the vocal cords.
So, articulatory phonetics tells us what our mouth does when we speak.
2. Acoustic Phonetics
This branch studies the sound waves that come out when we speak. It focuses on
physical features of sounds like pitch (high/low), loudness, and length.
• For example: Male voices usually have a low pitch, while female voices
usually have a higher pitch because of differences in their vocal cords.
So, acoustic phonetics tells us what happens to sounds in the air.
3. Auditory Phonetics
This branch studies how we hear and understand sounds. It focuses on the
human ear and brain, and how they work together to recognize speech.
• For example: The words ship (/ʃɪp/) and sheep (/ʃiːp/) sound different
because our ears can catch the slight difference in the vowel sounds.
So, auditory phonetics tells us how sounds are heard and understood by
people.
In short:
• Articulatory = Speaker (production of sounds)
• Acoustic = Sound (travel in air)
• Auditory = Listener (hearing and understanding sounds)
3. Speech Organs (Organs of Speech)
When we speak, different parts of our body work together to produce sounds.
These parts are called speech organs or organs of speech. They are mainly found
in our mouth, throat, and nose.
Each organ has a special role in producing different sounds. Let’s understand them
one by one:
1. Lungs
• The lungs provide the air stream, which is the starting point of speech.
• Without air, no sound can be produced.
• Example: When you say pen or bat, air comes from the lungs and pushes
through the vocal cords.
2. Vocal Cords (in the voice box / larynx)
• The vocal cords are two small folds inside the throat.
• When air passes through them, they vibrate and create sound (voiced
sounds).
• If they do not vibrate, we get voiceless sounds.
• Example:
o Voiced → /b/ (bat), /d/ (dog).
o Voiceless → /p/ (pen), /t/ (top).
3. Tongue
• The tongue is the most flexible organ in speech.
• It can move up, down, forward, and backward to shape different sounds.
• Different parts of the tongue are used for different sounds:
o Tip → /t/, /d/ (top, dog).
o Front → /ʃ/ (she).
o Back → /k/, /g/ (cat, go).
4. Teeth
• The teeth help block or control the air stream to make sounds.
• Example:
o /t/, /d/ (top, dog) → tongue touches the teeth ridge.
o /f/, /v/ (fun, van) → lower lip touches upper teeth.
5. Lips
• The lips can open, close, or round to produce different sounds.
• Examples:
o /p/, /b/, /m/ → lips close completely.
o /w/ (water) → lips round.
6. Palate (roof of the mouth)
• The palate has two parts:
o Hard palate (front part) – tongue touches it for sounds like /ʃ/ (she).
o Soft palate or velum (back part) – tongue touches it for sounds like
/k/, /g/ (cat, go).
7. Nose
• The nose is used for nasal sounds.
• When the soft palate is lowered, air passes through the nose.
• Examples: /m/ (man), /n/ (net), /ŋ/ (sing).
In short:
• Lungs → provide air.
• Vocal cords → make voice.
• Tongue, lips, teeth, palate → shape the sounds.
• Nose → makes nasal sounds.
4. Classification of Speech Sounds
A. Vowels
• Definition: Sounds produced without obstruction of air flow.
• Examples in English: a, e, i, o, u.
• Types:
o Pure vowels (monophthongs) → /iː/ (see), /æ/ (cat).
o Diphthongs (combination of two vowel sounds) → /ai/ (time), /au/
(house).
B. Consonants
• Definition: Sounds produced with some obstruction of air flow.
• Classified by:
o Place of articulation (where the sound is made)
▪ Bilabial: /p/, /b/, /m/
▪ Dental: /θ/ (think), /ð/ (this)
▪ Alveolar: /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/
▪ Velar: /k/, /g/, /ŋ/
o Manner of articulation (how the sound is made)
▪ Plosives: /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/
▪ Fricatives: /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/
▪ Nasals: /m/, /n/, /ŋ/
▪ Approximants: /r/, /j/, /w/
Monophthongs
• Meaning: A single, pure vowel sound.
• Your tongue and mouth stay in one position while saying it.
• The sound does not change from beginning to end.
• You can hold it steady, like singing it.
Examples in English:
• /iː/ in see
• /æ/ in cat
• /uː/ in food
• /ɒ/ in hot
• /ʌ/ in cup
Try: Say “seeeeeee” – notice the sound stays the same. That’s a
monophthong.
Diphthongs
• Meaning: A vowel sound that glides from one vowel to another in the same
syllable.
• Your tongue moves from one position to another while pronouncing it.
• It’s like two vowels joined together in a single sound.
Examples in English:
• /aɪ/ in time (starts with /a/ like in cat, moves to /ɪ/ like in sit)
• /aʊ/ in house (starts with /a/, glides to /ʊ/ like in book)
• /ɔɪ/ in boy (starts with /ɔː/, moves to /ɪ/)
• /eɪ/ in say
• /oʊ/ in go
Try: Say “boyyyy” slowly – you’ll hear it start as “bo-” and glide to “-ee.”
That glide makes it a diphthong.
Quick difference:
• Monophthong = one steady vowel sound (no change).
• Diphthong = one vowel sound that changes (glides from one vowel to
another).
5. Phonetic Symbols (IPA – International Phonetic
Alphabet)
• IPA gives one symbol for each sound (unlike English spelling, which is
confusing).
• Example:
o Cat = /kæt/
o School = /skuːl/
o Nation = /neɪʃən/
6. Stress and Intonation
• Word Stress: Emphasis on one syllable.
Example: 'Teacher vs. teaching.
• Sentence Stress: Important words in a sentence are stressed.
Example: I need your help, not I need your help.
• Intonation: Rise and fall of voice.
o Rising tone (question): Are you coming?
o Falling tone (statement): I am coming.
7. Common Pronunciation Problems for Indian Learners
• Confusing /v/ and /w/ → wine ≠ vine.
• Not distinguishing /s/ and /ʃ/ → sip vs. ship.
• Silent letters: know, doubt, honest.
• Adding extra vowels: eschool instead of school.
