语言学Lecture4 Phonetics.pptVIP

Lecture Four: Phonetics Wang Xiang Sound—Where it all begins Defining Phonetics Three main branches of phonetics The Organs of Speech and Sound Quality Vowels Diphthongs and Triphthongs Practice Features Notation Vowels: the sounds in the production of which no articulators come very close together and the air-stream passes through the vocal tract without obstruction. a. Functionally, vowels are the basis of syllables. b. Physically, vowels are musical. c. Articulatorily, for vowels, airstream is not obstructed, and speech organs are tense. Vowel sounds are classified by four variables: (a) length (long-medium-short) (Long vowels?are often called tense and short vowels are called lax.) (b) the degree of lip rounding (rounded-unrounded) (c) the height of the tongue raising (high-mid-low) (d) the position of the highest part of the tongue (back-central-front). Group A: Monophthongs Long unrounded high front vowel: /i:/ Short unrounded high front vowel: /i/ Medium unrounded mid front vowel: /e/ Short unrounded low front vowel: /?/ Short unrounded low central vowel: /?/ Long unrounded low back vowel: /a:/ Group A: Monophthongs Short rounded low back vowel: /?/ Long rounded mid back vowel: /?:/ Short rounded high back vowel: /u/ Long rounded high back vowel: /u:/ Long unrounded mid central vowel (schwa): /?:/ Short unrounded mid central vowel (schwa): /?/(the vowel that can be produced with least effort in English ) front central back high i: u: i u e ?(:) ?: mid ? low ? ? ? a: These vowel sounds are described as combinations of two