Phonetics
Phonetics: the scientific study of speech sounds in languages
Phoneme: A contrasting sound that can change the meaning of a word, the first sound you hear
For Example /p/ vs. /b/
- Lap vs lab
- Pet vs bet
Or /ʌ/ vs /ɒ/
- Put vs pot
- Luck vs lock
Consonants: medeklinkers
Vowels: klinkers
IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet
Monophthong: a vowel made up out of only one sound. Monos (‘single’) + phthongos (‘sound’).
Long vowels
/ɪ/ Fleece
/ɜ:/ Nurse
/u:/ Goose
/ɑ:/ Palm
/ɔ:/ Thought
Short vowels
/ɪ/ Kit
/e/ Dress
/æ/ Trap
/ʌ/ Strut
/ʊ/ Foot
/ɒ/ Lot
/ə/ ‘Schwa’ (Bonus)
Diphthong: A vowel in which the position of the lips and/or tongue changes during the production of
the sound. Di (‘twice’) + phthongos (‘sound’). Also called ‘glides’.
/eɪ/ Face
/aɪ/ Price
/ɔɪ/ Choice
/əʊ/ Goat
/aʊ/ Mouth
/ɪə/ Near
/ʊə/ Cure
/eə/ Square
Consonant voicing
Voiced consonant: is one which is produced with the vocal folds (sometimes called vocal chords)
vibrating. You can feel the vibration when you put your hand over your throat.
Voiceless consonant: is one which is produced without this vibration in the throat.
, Voiceless Voiced
/p/ /b/
/t/ /d/
/k/ /g/
/tʃ/ /dʒ/
/f/ /v/
/θ/ /ð/
/s/ /z/
/ʃ/ /ʒ/
Consonant phonemes which have no voiced/voiceless counterpart (tegenhanger):
Voiceless Voiced
/h/ ---
--- /m/
--- /n/
--- /ŋ/
--- /j/
--- /w/
--- /r/
--- /l/
Minimal pair: i.e., two words which only differ by one phoneme. Looking at minimal pairs can be a
helpful way to see which sounds differentiate words in a language and are thus phonemes. It also
shows that spelling and sound do not correspond with each other.
safe ~ save
life ~ live
strife ~ strive
leaf ~ leave
off ~ o f (pronounced with final /v/!)
Place of articulation
Place of articulation: means the area in and around the oral cavity where the consonant is produced.
Or it’s more technical definition: the area where the airstream is partially or completely blocked.
a) ___Palato-Alveolar_____________ b) __Dental________________________
Phonetics: the scientific study of speech sounds in languages
Phoneme: A contrasting sound that can change the meaning of a word, the first sound you hear
For Example /p/ vs. /b/
- Lap vs lab
- Pet vs bet
Or /ʌ/ vs /ɒ/
- Put vs pot
- Luck vs lock
Consonants: medeklinkers
Vowels: klinkers
IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet
Monophthong: a vowel made up out of only one sound. Monos (‘single’) + phthongos (‘sound’).
Long vowels
/ɪ/ Fleece
/ɜ:/ Nurse
/u:/ Goose
/ɑ:/ Palm
/ɔ:/ Thought
Short vowels
/ɪ/ Kit
/e/ Dress
/æ/ Trap
/ʌ/ Strut
/ʊ/ Foot
/ɒ/ Lot
/ə/ ‘Schwa’ (Bonus)
Diphthong: A vowel in which the position of the lips and/or tongue changes during the production of
the sound. Di (‘twice’) + phthongos (‘sound’). Also called ‘glides’.
/eɪ/ Face
/aɪ/ Price
/ɔɪ/ Choice
/əʊ/ Goat
/aʊ/ Mouth
/ɪə/ Near
/ʊə/ Cure
/eə/ Square
Consonant voicing
Voiced consonant: is one which is produced with the vocal folds (sometimes called vocal chords)
vibrating. You can feel the vibration when you put your hand over your throat.
Voiceless consonant: is one which is produced without this vibration in the throat.
, Voiceless Voiced
/p/ /b/
/t/ /d/
/k/ /g/
/tʃ/ /dʒ/
/f/ /v/
/θ/ /ð/
/s/ /z/
/ʃ/ /ʒ/
Consonant phonemes which have no voiced/voiceless counterpart (tegenhanger):
Voiceless Voiced
/h/ ---
--- /m/
--- /n/
--- /ŋ/
--- /j/
--- /w/
--- /r/
--- /l/
Minimal pair: i.e., two words which only differ by one phoneme. Looking at minimal pairs can be a
helpful way to see which sounds differentiate words in a language and are thus phonemes. It also
shows that spelling and sound do not correspond with each other.
safe ~ save
life ~ live
strife ~ strive
leaf ~ leave
off ~ o f (pronounced with final /v/!)
Place of articulation
Place of articulation: means the area in and around the oral cavity where the consonant is produced.
Or it’s more technical definition: the area where the airstream is partially or completely blocked.
a) ___Palato-Alveolar_____________ b) __Dental________________________
