Phonetics vs Phonology vs pronunciation vs articulation

Vowel vs Consonant Sound (segmentals)

Vowels and Diphthongs Consonants Supra segmental
a.) Place manner of Articulation a.) Pitch and tone
a.) Front Vowel
b.)voice and voiceless b.) Rate and Resonance
b.) Back Vowel c.) Intonation and Emphasis
Consonants
c.) Mid Vowel c.) Bilabial
d.) Juncture
e.) Enunciation
d.) Dipthongs d.) labiodental
f.) Effective voice and paralanguage
e.) dental
Elements
f.) Alveolar
g.) palatal
h.) Velar and Glottal
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Phonetics

Phonetics is the study of the sounds of human speech. It

focuses on the physical properties of speech sounds, how
they are produced by the vocal apparatus, how they are
perceived by the ear, and how they are transmitted
through the air.
 Phonetics can be
divided into three main
branches
Phonology
Pronunciation

Pronunciation refers to the way in which a word or a language is

spoken. It involves the specific sounds that make up words and
the way these sounds are articulated by the speaker. Proper
pronunciation is crucial for effective communication, as it
ensures that the speaker’s intended message is clearly
understood by the listener.
Articulation in the context of phonetics and speech refers
to the physical process by which speech sounds are
produced. It involves the coordinated movement of
various structures within the vocal tract, known as
articulators, to create distinct sounds. These articulators
include the tongue, lips, teeth, alveolar ridge, hard palate,
velum (soft palate), glottis, and vocal cords.
 Concepts in
Articulation
1.Articulators
2.Places of Articulation
3.Manners of Articulation
4.Voicing
Vowel
Sound
 A vowel sound is “a speech sound in which the
mouth is open, and the tongue is not touching the
top of the mouth, the teeth, etc., so that the flow of
air is not limited”. There are only five vowels in the
English language, but there are twenty vowel
sounds in total.
Consonant
Sound
 A consonant sound is a speech sound that is
produced by the partial or complete
obstruction of air by the lips, teeth, tongue or
throat. The Collins Dictionary defines a
consonant sound as “a sound such as 'p', 'f',
'n', or 't' which you pronounce by stopping the
air flowing freely through your mouth”.
 What is a
consonant?
 Consonants are letters that stand for a type of sound we
use in speech. These sounds involve a partial or complete
closure of the vocal tract: for example, placing the tongue
behind the front teeth, as with the consonants t and d; or
closing your lips, as with the consonants b, m, and p. The
opposite of consonants are vowels, which do not involve
closing the vocal tract.
 Most letters of the English alphabet are
consonants. Some letters, however, can represent
more than one sound, including both consonant
and vowel sounds. These letters are known as
“sometimes consonants.”
 Always consonants

b, c, d, f, g, j, k, l, m n,
p, q, s, t, v, x, z
Sometimes consonants

h, r, w, y
Vowels and Consonants
Unlike consonants, vowels do not involve closing
the vocal tract. Instead, they differentiate sounds
based on pitch, accent, volume, and duration.

The vowels are a, e, i, o, and u, and in some cases,

y. However, depending on how they’re used, h, r,
and w can also make vowel sounds, although in
grammar they are still considered consonants and
do not follow the same rules as the vowels.
 Knowing the difference between vowels and
consonants is a big help with spelling rules. In
particular, knowing when to spell words with
double consonants can be especially frustrating.
Whether or not a word uses double consonants
with a suffix, such as drop and dropped or begin
and beginning, depends not only on a word’s letters
but also the number of syllables.
 Consonant vs.
Consonance:

What is consonance?
 Consonants are closely related to a writing
technique called consonance. Often found in
poetry, musical lyrics, and creative writing,
consonance is a literary device that uses a
series of words containing the same consonant
sound. For example, look at this popular
children’s poem:
Notice the repetition of the k or ck sound, as well
as the n sound to a lesser extent.

Keep in mind that consonance is different from

alliteration. In alliteration, only the beginnings of
the words use the same consonant sound. In
consonance, the repeated sounds can come from
anywhere in the word, including the middle or
end.
 Consonants and the articles a and an

Consonants also play an important role in

choosing between the indefinite articles a and an.
The basic rules are simple:
·If the word starts with a consonant sound, use a.
·If the word starts with a vowel sound, use an.
For example, with animals whose name starts
with a consonant sound, we use a:

a tiger
a giraffe
a rat
But for animals whose name starts with a vowel
sound, we use an:
-an elephant
-an armadillo
-an orangutan

This applies to adjectives as well as nouns.

-a lock
-an open lock
 There are a few exceptions, however. The
consonant h can sometimes be silent, which
means some h words start with a vowel sound
and use an.

an hour
an heiress
However, not all h words are silent. If the h at the
beginning is pronounced, use a as with any other
consonant.

a hotel
a historic day
Likewise, vowels can sometimes make a consonant
sound at the beginning of the word. Although rare,
these words also use a. Pay particular attention to
words beginning with a vowel that makes a sound
like “you.”

a university
a European
What are
Vowels?
So what are the vowels? The letters a, e, i, o, u—
and sometimes y—are vowels. However, some
consonants, like h, r, and w, can also make
vowel sounds. In grammar, these letters are
still considered consonants and don’t follow
the vowel rules.
Letters and speech sounds are divided into
two categories: sounds where the air is
blocked by the lips, tongue, or throat
before leaving the mouth and sounds where
the air is not blocked. Consonants
represent sounds that are blocked; vowels
represent sounds that are not blocked.
While consonant sounds are differentiated
by how the air is blocked—such as sticking
the tongue behind the front teeth for d and
t, or closing the lips for b, m, and p—vowel
sounds are differentiated by pitch, accent,
volume, and duration.
 Vowels play a major role in both spelling and
grammar. They also have a direct impact on how
consonants are used, such as spelling words with
double consonants. Consider the difference
between hop and hope—which, as present
participles, become hopping and hoping. The
presence of the silent e at the end changes the
rules for how to conjugate certain words.
Vowels And
Diphthongs
A. Front Vowels

The front vowels in American English are /i/,

/ɪ/, /e/, /ɛ/, and /æ/, and are made with the
front of the tongue arched. Practice going from
high to low by saying the following words. Your
tongue, and possibly jaw, should drop slightly
for each vowel.
meet – mitt – mate – met – mat

seal – sill – sale – sell –

Sal
keen – kin – cane – Ken – can

teak – tick – take – tech –

tack
B. Back Vowels

The back vowels in American English are /u/, /ʊ/, /o/,

/ɔ/, and /ɑ/, and are made with the back of the tongue
raised. Practice going from high to low by saying the
following words. Your tongue, and possibly jaw,
should drop slightly for each vowel. For the first
three vowels, the lips are rounded; the fourth is
slightly rounded, and the fifth is unrounded.
boot – book – boat – bought – bot

cute – cook – coat – caught –

cot
pool – pull – pole – Paul – politics
C. MID VOWEL

Mid vowels refer to a category of vowel sounds

that are pronounced with the tongue positioned
between the extremes of high and low within the
oral cavity. These vowels are classified based on
the vertical height of the tongue during
pronunciation.
 There are 2 characteristics in Mid Vowels

1. Tongue Position: Mid vowels are

articulated with the tongue positioned
midway between the top and bottom of the
mouth. This intermediate tongue height
distinguishes them from high vowels and low
vowels.
 2. Acoustic Properties:

Mid vowels are typically characterized

by medium frequency and intensity in
terms of acoustic properties compared
to high and low vowels. They occupy an
intermediate acoustic space in vowel
systems.
 Examples of Mid Vowels

In English and many other languages, mid vowels

are represented by specific symbols in phonetic
transcriptions. Some examples of mid vowels in
English include:

- /ɛ/: as in "pet," "red"

- /ə/: as in "sofa," "sofa"
- /ʌ/: as in "cup," "love"
 D. DIPTHONGS

A diphthong is a vowel sound that involves a

glide from one vowel sound to another within
the same syllable. The term "diphthong" comes
from the Greek words "di-" meaning "two" and
"phthongos" meaning "sound," hence "two
sounds."
Diphthongs are often described as "gliding
vowels" because the tongue moves during
their pronunciation, creating a smooth
transition between two vowel positions.
This movement contrasts with
monophthongs, which are single,
unchanging vowel sounds.
 Types of Diphthongs

Diphthongs can be categorized based on various

factors, including:

- Falling and Rising: Falling diphthongs begin with a

more prominent vowel sound and end with a less
prominent one, while rising diphthongs start with a
less prominent sound and end with a more
prominent one.
 - Opening and Closing:

Opening diphthongs move from a more

closed vowel position to a more open
one, while closing diphthongs move
from open to closed.
 - Centring:
Centring diphthongs end with a central
vowel sound, often the schwa /ə/.

- Wide and Narrow:

Wide diphthongs involve a larger tongue
movement between the two vowel
positions, while narrow diphthongs involve
a smaller movement.
Example of Dipthongs

- /eɪ/: as in "late," "gate"

- /ɔɪ/: as in "boy," "coin"
- /aɪ/: as in "time,"
"rhyme"
 CONSONANTS

Consonants are a class of speech sounds

produced by obstructing the airflow in the vocal
tract. Unlike vowels, which are made with an
open vocal tract, consonants involve some
degree of constriction or closure in the mouth,
throat, or nasal passages. Consonants play a
crucial role in language by contributing to the
structure and intelligibility of spoken words.
 Characteristics of Consonants

Consonants possess several key characteristics

that distinguish them from vowels:

1. Obstruction of Airflow: Consonants are

produced by obstructing or restricting the airflow
in the vocal tract. This obstruction can occur at
different points of articulation, such as the lips,
teeth, tongue, or palate.
 2. Articulation Points:

Consonants are classified based on

where the obstruction or constriction
takes place in the vocal tract. Common
articulation points include the bilabial,
alveolar, and velar regions.
 3. Voice Onset Time:

Consonants can also be categorized based

on their voice onset time, which refers to
the timing of vocal cord vibration relative to
the release of the constriction. This
distinction helps differentiate voiced and
voiceless consonants.
 4. Manner of Articulation:

Consonants can be further classified based

on the manner in which the airflow is
obstructed. Common manners of articulation
include stops, fricatives, affricates, nasals,
and approximants.
 Example:
Bilabial: Sounds made with both lips.
- b as in "bat"
- p as in "pat"
- m as in "mat"
- w as in "wet"

Labiodental: Sounds made with the lower lip against the

upper teeth.
- f as in "fat"
- v as in "vat"
 A. Place Manner of Articulation

Manner of Articulation

• is the way we make sounds with our speech organs.

• each sound we make has its own unique manner of

articulation, like plucking, blowing, or tapping.
 Two categorize of
manner of articulation:
Obstruents: are speech sounds created by obstructing the airflow in
the vocal tract. They include stops or plosives, fricatives, and
affricates. ex. / p, t, k, d, b /

Sonorants or resonants: are speech sounds created by continuous

and unobstructed airflow through the vocal tract. Sonorants can
include vowels as well as consonants.

ex. / J, w, m, n /
PLACE OF ARTICULATION
 B. Voice & voiceless
Consonants
Voiced Consonants

- it used our vocal cords, which are actually (mucous

membranes, stretch across the larynx at the back of the
throat). By tightening and relaxing as you speak, the
vocal cords modulate the flow of breath expelled from
the lungs.

These are the voiced consonants: B, D, G, J, L, M, N, R, V,

W, Y, and Z.
 examples of words that voiced
consonants:
• traveled
• gloves
• shells
• started
• changed
• wheels
 examples of words that voiced
consonants:
• lived
• dreams
• exchanged
• globes
• phones
• listened
• organized
Voiceless Consonants

• do not use the vocal cords to produce their hard,

percussive sounds. Instead, they're slack, allowing air to
flow freely from the lungs to the mouth, where the
tongue, teeth, and lips engage to modulate the sound.

These are the voiceless consonants: Ch, F, P, S, Sh, and T.

Examples of voiceless consonants:
• washed
• coats
• watched
• books
• seats
• dropped
• carts
C. Bilabial

"Bilabial"
[ bahy-ley-bee-uhl ]

• it is a adjective that produced with the lips

close together or touchin

for examples: bed, happy, funny, and lip.

D. Labeodental

Labiodental refers to a consonant speech sound

produced when the bottom lip touched the upper
teeth. Labio means lips and Dental means teeth.
*Labiodental consonant sounds are;
(f)-as in family
(v)-as in vine
 Labiodental Fricatives

The fricative is a consonant sound created when

the airflow is released through a narrow opening,
causing friction as the air is released.
There are two human speech sounds that have
labiodental;

Voiced labiodental fricative /v/ and

Voiceless labiodental fricative /f/.
 The voiced labiodental fricative /v/ is
created when there are vibrations in the
vocal cords

The voiceless labiodental fricative/f/ is

created when there are no vibrations in the
vocal cords during sound production.
E. Dental Consonant

Dental consonant is a consonant articulated

with the tongue against the upper teeth, such as
/θ/, /ð/. In some languages, dentals are
distinguished from other groups, such as alveolar
consonants.
 Dental consonants share acoustic
similarity and in the Latin script are
generally written with consistent
symbols

Ex: /t/ /d/ /n/

F. Alveolar consonants

Alveolar consonants are consonant sounds

that are produced with the tongue close to or
touching the ridge behind the teeth on the roof of
the mouth.

alveoli comes from the sockets of the teeth.

 example:

The consonant sounds /n/ as in “no” and

“man“ /t/ as in “tab” and “rat“ /d/ as in
“dip” and “bad, are all alveolar
consonants.
 In the classroom, Alveolar
consonants exist in many languages,
including Spanish, Italian, French
and German. Learners can practise
these in minimal pairs such as ‘tent'
and ‘dent.
 G. Palatal

- Palatal refers to the area of the roof of the

mouth directly behind the alveolar ridge,
where the hard palate begins. This area is
involved in the production of certain speech
sounds.
 H. Velar and Glottal

- Velar refers to the soft palate, the back part of

the roof of the mouth.

- Glottal refers to the space between the vocal

cords, known as the glottis.
 Supra
Segmental
Suprasegmental

- Suprasegmental refers to phonological features that

extend over more than one sound segment, often
encompassing syllables, words, or phrases. They are
"superimposed" on the individual sounds of a
language, adding another layer of meaning.
Pitch and
Tone?
 Pitch
Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of a sound. It is
determined by the frequency of the sound waves, with
higher frequencies producing higher pitches and lower
frequencies producing lower pitches.
 Tone
Tone refers to the use of pitch in language to distinguish
meaning between words or phrases. It is a characteristic
of tonal languages, where pitch patterns on individual
syllables can change the meaning of a word.
Relationship between Pitch and Tone
Pitch is the physical property of sound, while tone
refers to the linguistic use of pitch to differentiate
meaning.

In tonal languages, pitch patterns (tones) are

phonemic, meaning they are an integral part of the
word’s pronunciation and meaning. In non-tonal
languages, pitch is more often used for intonation,
affecting the sentence’s meaning or emotion rather
than individual word meanings.
Intonation And
Emphasis
 Intonation
Intonation refers to the variation of pitch while speaking.
It is a feature of prosody, the rhythm and melody of
speech. Intonation involves changes in pitch over a
stretch of speech, such as a phrase or sentence, rather
than on individual words or syllables.
 Emphasis
Emphasis refers to the stress or prominence given to a
particular word or syllable in a sentence. This is usually
achieved through changes in pitch, loudness, or
duration.
 Example:
”I didn’t say she stole the money.” (Emphasizing “I”
implies someone else might have said it.)

”I didn’t say she stole the money.” (Emphasizing “didn’t”

negates the action.)

”I didn’t say she stole the money.” (Emphasizing “stole”

suggests a different crime might have occurred.)
Relationship between Intonation and Emphasis
 Interaction
Intonation and emphasis often work together in
spoken language. While intonation patterns can
indicate the overall structure of a sentence
emphasis highlights specific elements within that
structure. For instance, in a question with rising
intonation, you might emphasize a particular word
to show doubt or surprise.
 Prosody
Both intonation and emphasis are part of prosody,
the study of the rhythm, stress, and intonation of
speech. Together, they contribute to the natural
flow of speech and help convey nuances that are
not explicitly stated by the words themselves.
Rate

Rate or speaking rate, refers to the speed at

which we speak. It is the number of syllables or
words spoken per unit of time. A faster rate
might be used in casual conversation or to
emphasize excitement, while a slower rate might
be employed for formal presentations or to
convey solemnity.
Resonance

Resonance refers to the amplification of

certain frequencies of sound within the
vocal tract. This amplification is determined
by the shape and size of the vocal tract,
which changes depending on the position of
the tongue, lips, and other articulators.
Juncture - a pause or a slight delay in a continuous
flow of speech. Sound transitions characterize the
movement from sound to sound within a word or a
phrase.
Classification
• Close :Juncture - is a movement from sound to
sound which has no intervening pause or delay.
• Open Juncture - is movement which is not
continuous. There is a slight stoppage of the last
sound till it blends with the next.
3 Symbols of Juncture
Single Bar Juncture (/) - indicates a slight or
short pause between two thought groups in a
sentence.
Double Bar Juncture (//) - indicate a longer
pause between two thought group in a
sentence.
Double Cross Juncture (#) - Characterizes a drop
in a pitch or stop in a flow of a speech, often
making the end of a sentence or a clause.
Enunciation- The act of pronouncing words
clear and accurately with correct emphasis
on key syllables.
The word "enunciate" is derived from the
Latin "enuntiate" meaning speaking clearly. It
includes saying the words while opening your
mouth and opening your jaws appropriately
(as opposed to mumbling)
 Tips and Steps to Improve you
Enunciation
Learning Basic Enunciation Tips
• Watch yourself talk to mirror
• Show your teeth
• Lift up your soft palate
• Keep the tongue forward and down
• Stand straight
• Speak slowly and steadily
 Tips and Steps to Improve your
Enunciation
Training Enunciation with Exercises
• Go through some consonants-vowels
combination
• Practice diphthongs
• Practice tongue twisters
• Record yourself speaking
• Practice with a pencil in your mouth
Tips and Steps to Improve your Enunciation
Practice Other Speaking Techniques
• Vary your speaking speed
• Pause intentionally
• Speak loudly but clearly
Effective voice
Effective voice - is the one that helps you get your message
across clearly and convincingly. It's about using your voice
in a way that engages your listener and makes them
understand and remember what you're saying.
Key Elements of Effective Voice
• Tone
• Volume
• Pitch
• Clarity
• Enthusiasm
• Confidence
• Variety
• Adaptability
Paralanguage
• Also known as vocalics
• "Para" is a Greek term, which means "near or
•beside".
It is an important component of non- verbal
communication
• People normally use paralanguage multiple times per
day and they are not even aware
Paralinguisti
c
• The study of vocal (and sometimes non-vocal) signals
beyond the basic verbal message or speech

• Was invented by George L. Trager in

Elements of Paralanguage

• Tone
• Pitch (Voice)
• Prosody
• Volume
• Rate
• Non-fluency features
"To finally end this presentation, I want to leave
you with this powerful quote: 'The voice is the
most powerful instrument of the human soul. It is
the most direct expression of our thoughts,
feelings, and intentions.' - Malcolm X. This quote
reminds us that how we speak is just as
important as what we say. By mastering the
elements of voice, we can communicate more
effectively and connect with others on a deeper
level."