SOUNDS OF

ENGLISH
Instructor | ZOSIMO L. BARDAJE| COMMUNICATION
 LESSON OBJECTIVES
a. understand how sounds are produced
in a language;
b. familiarize the IPA symbols used in the
English language; and,
c. transcribe words using the IPA symbols
Phonetics
Phonetics is the branch of
linguistics which studies the
characteristics of speech sounds.

[] The best-known and most widely used

one is the International Phonetic
// Alphabet (IPA).
 Articulatory

ti c s
Phonetics

on e Auditory
Phonetics
Ph

Acoustic Phonetics
~ Articulatory Phonetics ~

This studies how speech

sounds are produced.
 ~ Auditory Phonetics ~
This which studies how
they are perceived by the
ear.
It investigates the perception of
pitch and loudness of sounds.
 ~ Acoustic Phonetics ~

This looks at the physical

characteristics of speech
sounds.
 PHONETICS
Individual speech sounds
are called segments. Segments
Phones

Segments are the smallest

elements in a language. Consonants Vowels
(Synonymous to phones)
[p], [t], [k] . . . [a], [e], [i] . . .
 ~ Phonetics ~
[haI]! [aI] [am]
[sIr] [zǝzImo]!
[aI] [titʃ]
[læŋgwIdʒ].
Consonants
Manner of
Articulation

Consonant

Consonants are produced with Point of

partial or full constriction in Voicing
Articulation

the airflow through the vocal

tract.
SPEECH MECHANICS
 Respiratory Parts
 Vocalizing Parts
 Resonating Parts
 Articulatory Parts
 Articulators
 Point of Articulation
 Respiratory Parts
These are the parts responsible for inhaling
and exhaling.

LUNGS – first organ necessary for speech.

DIAPHRAGM –muscle that contracts.
TRACHEA – a tube; also known as windpipe.

The Speech Mechanics | The Sounds of English

 Vocalizing Parts
These are the parts responsible for turning
air into sounds.

LARYNX – houses the voice box.

VOCAL CORDS – second important speech organ.

The Speech Mechanics | The Sounds of English

 Resonating Parts
These are the parts responsible for
amplifying and altering the sounds making
it rich and fuller.
• Nasal Cavity
• Oral Cavity
• Pharyngeal Cavity

The Speech Mechanics | The Sounds of English

 Articulatory Parts
These are the parts responsible for making the sound
distinct and understandable.
Points of Articulation Articulators
o Upper Lip o Lower Lip
o Upper Teeth o Jaw
o Lower Teeth o Tongue
o Alveolar Ridge
o Palate
o Velum
o Uvula

The Speech Mechanics | The Sounds of English

 Characteristics of
Consonant Sounds
 Place of Articulation
 Manner of Articulation
 Voicing

Consonant Sounds| The Sounds of English

 Place of Articulation
Bilabial – when lower lip touches the upper lip to
produce the sound.

[p] [b] [m] [w]

pat bat mat watt

Place of Articulation | The Sounds of English

 Place of Articulation
Labiodental – when the lower lip comes in contact
with the upper front teeth.

[f] [v]
face vase

Place of Articulation | The Sounds of English

 Place of Articulation
Interdental – produced by placing the tip of the
tongue between the upper and lower front teeth.

[ð] [θ]
mother moth

Place of Articulation | The Sounds of English

 Place of Articulation
Alveolar – the sound is created when the tips of the
tongue is raised near the back part of the upper front
teeth.
[t] [d] [s] [z]
tip dip sip zip

[n] [l]
nip lip
Place of Articulation | The Sounds of English
 Place of Articulation
Palatal – when the tongue is arched towards the
palate.

[r] [j] [dʒ] [tʃ]

rat yellow jail church

[ʃ] [ʒ]
shallow measure
Place of Articulation | The Sounds of English
 Place of Articulation
Velars – when the back of the tongue is against the
soft palate (velum).

[k] [g] [ŋ] [w]

kill gill king will

Place of Articulation | The Sounds of English

 Place of Articulation
Glottal – the sound of air when friction is produced as
it goes through the glottis.

[h]
hill

Place of Articulation | The Sounds of English

 Manner of Articulation
Stops – These are sounds created by stopping the passage of
the breath with a build up of pressure before the release of
breath.

Bilabial Stops [p] and [b]

Alveolar Stops [t] and [d]
Velar Stops [k] and [g]

Manner of Articulation | The Sounds of English

 Manner of Articulation
Fricatives – created when the air is not completely stopped
but goes through with a hissing sound or friction.

Labiodental Fricatives [f] and [v]

Dental Fricatives [ð] and [θ]
Alveolar Fricatives [s] and [z]
Post Alveolar Fricatives [r]
Palatal Fricatives [ʃ] and [ʒ]
Glottal Fricatives [h]

Manner of Articulation | The Sounds of English

 Manner of Articulation
Affricates – created when a stop is combined with a
fricative.
Alveolar Affricates [dʒ] and [tʃ]

Nasals – produced when the air passes through the nose and
not the mouth.
Bilabial nasal [m]
Alveolar nasal [n]
Velar nasal [ŋ]

Manner of Articulation | The Sounds of English

 Manner of Articulation
Laterals – created when air is stopped in the center by the tip of the
tongue against the alveolar ridge, while your breath passes either one or
both sides of the tongue.

Alveolar Lateral [l]

Semi-vowels (Glide) – are consonants that sounds vowel-like. There
is no friction made when making the sounds.

Bilabial [w]
Palatal [j]

Manner of Articulation | The Sounds of English

 Voicing
refers to vibrations of the
vocal chords upon production
of a sound.
 VOICED VOICELESS
bay [b] pay [p]
vow [v] so [s]
zoo [z] tie [t]
die [d] cake [k]
go [g] show [ʃ]
they [ð] no [n]
measure [ʒ] lie [l]
may [m] rye [ɹ] [r]
judge [dʒ] yes [j]
sing [ŋ] weigh [w]
fee [f]
church [tʃ]
thigh [θ]
hay [h]
Vowels
ed Heig
nd h
Ro u t

Po
th
ng

si
t io
Le

n
Vowels
Vowels are pronounced without
or with very little obstruction in the
vocal tract and they make the
nucleus of a syllable. Monophthongs Diphthongs
 Characteristics of Vowel
Sounds
 Position (front, central, back)
 Height (low, mid , high)
 Roundness (rounded, unrounded)
 Length (long, short)

Consonant Sounds| The Sounds of English

 Monophthongs (Simple Vowels)
PHONES LENGTH ROUNDNESS HEIGHT POSITION SAMPLE
[i] long unrounded high front beat
[I] short unrounded high front bit
[e] long unrounded mid front bait
[ɛ] short unrounded mid front bet
[æ] short unrounded low front bat
[a] long rounded low front bock
[o] long rounded mid back boat
[ɔ] short rounded mid back bought
[u] long rounded high back boot
[ʊ] short rounded high back book
[ə] short unrounded mid central but
 Diphthongs
From the Greek word which means ‘two voices,’ a diphthong is a vowel in
which there is a noticeable sound change within the syllable.

[ɔɪ] boy, coil

[aɪ] ice, my
[aʊ] mouth, brown
Thank you for a fun semester