Phonetics and phonology – Understanding the sounds of speech

English is an international language for communication. Understanding its phonetic sounds is essential for effective communication, as it has a great influence on fields like business, education, IT, science, technology, etc. It can be described as a pipeline for the stream of knowledge in all branches of study.

Furthermore, English is spoken as a first language by more than 350 million people worldwide and as a second language by more than 430 million. To learn the nuances of the English language, you can enrol in the Spoken English Course Online to understand in-depth theoretical concepts in English.

From this blog, you can learn what phonetics and phonology are and their segmental features. Furthermore, you can also understand the comprehensive summary of vowels, consonants, and other phonetic features of the speech.

What is Phonology?

Phonology is the study of how phonetic sounds are organised and used in a language. You can learn how speech is organised in the mind and used to convey meaning for communication. It’s about the rules and patterns that govern how sounds combine to form words and sentences.

Phonology can be related to many linguistic disciplines, include Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics, Language acquisition, and cognitive Science.

What is Phonetic Rule?

Phonetic rules govern the combination of speech sounds in English. For example, the rule of aspiration states that voiceless stops (/p/, /t/, /k/) are aspirated at the beginning of words.

The key difference between phonology and phonetics is that phonology deals with the abstract rules and patterns of sounds, while phonetics focuses on their concrete physical properties.

What are Phonic Rules?

Phonic rules, or phonetic rules, are the patterns and constraints that govern how phonetic sounds are combined in a language.

What are the 5 principles of phonics?

There are five principles of phonics that can help you master the speech sounds in English and develop strong reading skills:

Grapheme-phoneme correspondence

It is the fundamental relationship between written letters (graphemes) and the sounds they represent (phonemes). It’s the cornerstone of reading and spelling. For example, the grapheme “c” can represent the phoneme /k/ in “cat” or the phoneme /s/ in “city.”

Phonological awareness

It is the ability to recognise and manipulate individual phonetics sounds in English when spoken. It involves tasks like identifying the initial sound of a word, counting syllables, or rhyming words. This skill is crucial for developing strong reading and writing abilities.

Decoding

Decoding is translating written symbols into spoken language (phonetic sounds). It involves sounding out speech sounds in English by identifying the individual phonemes and blending them. For example, to decode “cat,” a reader would identify the sounds /k/, /æ/, and /t/ and combine them to form the word.

Fluency

Fluency is the ability to read speech sounds in English accurately, quickly, and with expression. Fluent readers can read without stumbling over words and understand the text’s meaning. Fluency is essential for comprehending longer texts and enjoying reading.

Comprehension

It is the ability to understand the meaning of what you read. It involves connecting the information in the text with your prior knowledge and drawing inferences. Good comprehension skills allow you to learn new information, follow complex arguments, and appreciate literature.

What is Basic Phonetics?

Phonetics is a linguistic study of the human articulation, transmission, and perception of speech sounds in English. It’s about the nuts and bolts of how we make phonetic sounds. Furthermore, it is the study of abstract, grammatical status, and sound system or sign.

Phonics Pattern

A phonics pattern is a recurring sequence of sounds in words. A predictable relationship between letters and sounds helps us decode and read words.

What are the 44 phonetic sounds?

There are a total of 44 phonetic sounds in English, which can be categorised into vowels and consonants.

Now we shall see the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) chart for a better understanding of Manner of Articulation and also helps you to understand 44 vowel sounds in phonetics.

To learn these phonetic sounds in a practical environment, you can join Spoken English Classes in Chennai at FITA Academy to better understand IPA charts.

Manner of Articulation

Articulation Mode is how the flow of air is blocked as it flows out of the lungs and out of the nose and mouth. Consonant speech sounds in English depend on the places of articulation used. They are Bilabial, Labio-Dental, Dental, Alveolar, Post-Alveolar, Palatal, Velar, Glottal. Based on these, there is a six Manner of Articulation.

CONSONANTS

This section provides a detailed overview of English phonetics sounds, including nasal, stop, fricative, affricate, approximant, and lateral consonants.

Nasal:

When you restrict the flow of air via your mouth by allowing air to pass through your nose, you get nasal consonant phonetic sounds.

There are three nasal consonants in English. They are as follows:

• /m/ – / m / Mother, Mad Bilabial (the vocal passage is blocked by the closing of the lips)
• /n/ – No, turn- Alveolar ( sound produced by pressing the tongue against the alveolar ridge.)
• /ŋ/ – King – Velar (Pressing the back of the tongue on the soft palate blocks airflow.)

Plosive or Stop consonants:

Stop consonants are created when the vocal tract is closed completely, and airflow is released in a burst to add meaning to the words.

• /p/ – Pin, purse – Closing the lips blocks airflow (bilabial)
• /b/ – Bag, cab – When the lips are closed, the airflow is obstructed (bilabial)
• /t/ -Tab, late – the word made by placing the tongue towards the alveolar ridge (alveolar)
• /d/ – Day, dip – a word made by pressing the tongue on the alveolar ridge (alveolar)
• /k/ – Cash, kite – sound produced when tongue against the soft palate (velar)
• /g/ – Good, girl – the back of the tongue is pressed against the soft palate, blocking the oral channel (velar)

Fricative:

A fricative is a partial blockage so that air flows through the narrow channel without any blockage.

• /F/ – Fish, for – air is forced through lower lips (Labiodental)
• /V/ – Have, cave – air is forced through lower lips (Labiodental)
• /θ/ – Thought, thick – air flows through upper teeth and tongue (dental)
• /ð/ – Those, the – air flows through upper teeth and tongue (dental)
• /z/ – Zoo, zit – air is forced through the tongue and alveolar ridge (alveolar)
• /ʃ/ – Shirt, brash – air flows through the tongue and beyond the alveolar ridge(post-alveolar)
• /ʒ/ – Television, vision – air is flowing through the tongue and beyond the alveolar ridge (post-alveolar)
• /h/ – Hope, hello – This is not a true consonant, as there is no restriction in the airflow.

Affricate:

The result of Affricate consonants is the mix of stop and Fricative consonants. The affricate sounds are:

• /ʈʃ/ – Match, church
• /dʒ/ -Joy, jam

These two sounds are produced when air is blocked with the tongue beyond the alveolar ridge (post-alveolar).

Approximant:

 Air turbulence is caused by approximants, two articulators that meet near together.

• /r/ – Right, ride – the tongue raises to the hard palate while pronouncing these words, but not too close.
• /j/ – Yellow, yes – tongue lifts to but not too close to the hard palate.
• /w/ – Wall, wet – Velum increases the back of the tongue

Lateral:

In Lateral consonants, the sound is produced when your tongue blocks the middle of your mouth.

• /l/ – Law, luck, and lots are words that the tongue tip is placed middle of your mouth

Understanding the phonetic sounds of consonants, including their manner of articulation and place of articulation, is crucial for accurate pronunciation and effective communication in English. For those eager to sharpen their skills, the Spoken English Course in Pondicherry offers a deep dive into mastering these essential concepts, helping you achieve fluency and confidence in the English language.

VOWELS

Vowels are phonetic sounds in which the airflow passes from the larynx to the lips without any obstacle. we should know in what way each vowel differs from the other. Vowels differ in the shape and position of the tongue, the distance between the upper surface of the tongue and the palate, and the distance between the front and back positions of the tongue.

For example, when you pronounce i:vowel sounds in the English word “see” you can observe that your tongue is held up close to the roof of the mouth. But when you pronounce the æ vowel sound in the word “cat”, you can notice that the roof of the mouth is now greater.

So, the difference between i: and æ is the position of the mouth. when you pronounce these words you can notice the vowel i: is a close vowel and æ is an open vowel.

What are the 20 vowel sounds in phonetics?

The 20 vowel sounds in English phonetics are:

• Short vowels: /ɪ/, /e/, /æ/, /ʌ/, /ɒ/, /ʊ/
• Long vowels: /iː/, /ɜː/, /ɔː/, /uː/, /ɑː/
• Diphthongs: /aɪ/, /eɪ/, /əʊ/, /aʊ/, /eə/, /ɪə/, /ɔɪ/, /ʊə/

These sounds can be represented using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which provides a standardized way to represent speech sounds in English.

Short Vowels: 

Short vowels give short English phonetic sounds while pronouncing a word, for example, words like Pot, cat, top, etc. Now, we shall see short vowel symbols and for verification, you can refer to the above diagram.

• ɪ – In the word ‘Ship’, the vowel is in close front, and lips are slightly spread
• e – It is a close-mid front vowel, and lips are slightly spread while pronouncing the word ‘Men’.
• æ – The example for a front vowel is ‘bat’
• ʌ – It is a central vowel and more open while pronouncing words like rush, and London.
• ɒ– It is an open-back rounded vowel or low-back rounded vowel. For example, rob, top, pot.
• ʊ – This is a near-close back rounded vowel in words like push, Put, and book.

Long vowels:

Long words give long phonetic sounds while pronouncing words like sheep, leaf, and beat. Now, we shall see the symbols of long vowels.

IPAWord example:

• i: – Need, mean (lips are slightly spread while pronouncing the word)
• ɜ: – It is a central vowel. Examples of words like a bird, nurse.
• ɔ: – This is an open-mid back rounded vowel. Example words are Talk, horse, bored.
• u: This vowel is much less back and close. For example the words like Food, boot.
• ɑ: It is an open vowel. Example words like card, car.

Diphthongs:

Diphthongs are vowel sounds in phonetics that consist of a movement from one vowel to another, which can be described as long vowels. You need to remember that the first part of the diphthongs is much longer than the second part. For example, when we pronounce the diphthong vowel /aɪ/ sound in the word “eye,” only I is noticeable and the loudness of the sound is decreased. So as the result, the “I” part is shorter and stronger.

There are eight Diphthongs in English /aɪ/ , /eɪ/ , /əʊ/ ,/aʊ/ ,/eə/ ,/ɪə/ ,/ɔɪ/, /ʊə/. You can remember the diphthongs’ sounds in an easier way by dividing them into three groups.

• Centring diphthongs ends in ə – /ɪə/, /eə/, /ʊə/
• Closing ends in ɪ – /aɪ/, /eɪ/, /ɔɪ/
• Another Closing diphthongs ending in ʊ – /əʊ/,/aʊ/

Now, we shall see how all diphthong phonetic sounds differ from each other through an example:

IPAWord example:

• /ɪə/Steer, beard
• /eə/Scarce, care
• /ʊə/Tour, more
• /eɪ/Great, pain
• /aɪ/Fine, nice
• /ɔɪ/Voice, choice
• /əʊ/Home, road
• /aʊ/Gown, brown

Pronounce these words to learn the exact sounds of each vowel sounds in phonetics. So, these are important aspects you should focus on while learning the English language. Also there are various in-depth features in English for the learner who wants to acquire more knowledge in the English language. But these are the fundamental speech sounds in English you need to focus on before moving into an in-depth study. For a comprehensive understanding of these theoretical concepts, you can enroll in the Spoken English Course in Bangalore to deepen your expertise in the English language.

Cardinal vowels:

Cardinal vowels are a set of vowels arranged in a front-back and close-open, etc. So you can understand better from the diagram below.

From this, you would have understood what is phonetics and phonology, and the sound systems in the English language. To learn more and to build your career opportunity you can enroll in the Spoken English Classes in Bangalore providing theoretical and practical knowledge of the English Language to the learners under the expert trainers.