Module: Phonetics
Level: L1-FILA
Time Allotted: 90 min
Instructor: Dr Fatma KHERBACHE
E-mail: socioling70@gmail.com
Lecture 8: Key Definitions of Fundamental Concepts
Introduction
To understand what a phoneme is, it is necessary to consider some fundamental
theoretical questions:
-what is meant by a sound?
-How are the sounds of English established?
-How many are there?
Speech is the production of a continuous stream of sounds, but in order to study it, it is
necessary to divide this stream into small pieces called segments.
E.g. man [m æ n]: three (3) segments. But, it not always easy to decide on the number
1 2 3
of the segments. E.g. main [m e ɪ n]: three (3) or four (4) segments?
1 2 3 4
The first segment is ‘m’ and the last is ‘n’, but should we regard ‘eɪ’ in the middle as
one (1) segment or two (2) segments? Thus, how many sounds are there?
Let consider the set of vowels found in English. Each of these vowels can be
pronounced in many slightly different ways, so that the total range of vowel sounds
produced is practically infinite. But, we are confident that there are only twenty (20)
vowels. Why? If we put one of these 20 vowels in the place of another, there is a
change in the meaning of the word.
E.g. if [æ]is substituted for [e] in the word ‘bed’ we get a new word ‘bad’. We say that
these two (2) vowels are phonemes because they are capable of changing the meaning
of the word. Thus, a phoneme can be defined as the smallest unit capable of changing
the meaning of a word. However, in the case of two (2) slightly different ways of
pronouncing what is considered as the same sound, there is no change in the meaning.
[æ+]
/æ/ [æ+_]
[æ-]
Speech is divided into segments. These segments (units) are called phonemes and the
complete set of these units is called the phonic system of the language. E.g. /p/ is
considered as a phoneme in the English language, but not in the Arabic language.
While /Ɂ/ is regarded as a phoneme in the Arabic language ماء-ارض, it is not in
English language. /b/ is sometimes pronounced with no voicing but sometimes it is
fully voiced. E.g. the same phoneme has two (2) different realisations but one can be
substituted for the other without affecting the meaning of the word. These two
different realisations are said to be in free variation.
[b̥]
/b/
[b]
Another case concerns the realisation of /t/ which can be either aspirated or
unaspirated.
[th] as in tea
/t/
[t] as in eat
The two different realisations are both recognized as /t/, but aspirated [t h] will never be
found in the place where the unaspirated [t] is appropriate and vice versa. In this case,
we say that the two (2) realisations are said to be in complementary distribution
(context) which means that one allophone (realisation) cannot be substituted for the
other.
Phonetics vs. Phonology
Phonetics may be defined as comparatively study of describing the sounds that we use
in speaking. Phonology studies how phonemes function in language and the
relationship between different phonemes. It is the study of the abstract side of sounds
of a language. “Phonology has been defined as the study of sound systems. That is, the
study of how speech sounds structure and function in languages” (L. Hyman, 1975: 2).
“A phonetic study tells how the sounds of a language are made and what their acoustic
properties are. A phonological study tells how these sounds are used to convey
meaning” (L. Hyman, 1975: 2).
We have to study both phonetics and phonology to acquire a full understanding of the
use of sounds in a language.
Supra-Segmental Phonology
There are many significant sound contrasts (differences) which are not the result of
differences between phonemes. E.g. stress is important in the word ‘import’.
‘import [‘ɪmpɔ:t] noun
import
im’port [ɪm’pɔ :t] verb
Intonation is important too.
Right rising a question
Right
Right falling an agreement
References
- Crystal, D (2008). A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. Oxford: Blackwell
Publishers.
-Ladefoged, P (2001).A course in phonetics (4th edition) University of California: Los
Angeles
- Levis, J.M and Munro, M (2012). Phonetics and phonology: overview. In Chapelle,
C.A (ed). The encyclopedia of applied linguistics. 10 volume set
(1st edition). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell
-Linstead, S (11th December, 2014). English spellings don’t match the sounds they are
supposed to represent. It’s time to change.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-
language/2014/dec/11/mind-your-language-english-spelling (23
Sep 2022)
- Ogden, R (2009).An introduction to English Phonetics, Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
-Raymond Hickey. (2002). Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge University Press.
-Roach, P (2004). British English: Received Pronunciation. In Journal of the
International Phonetic Association, Volume 34, Issue 2, December
2004, pp. 239 – 245. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
-Roach, P (2009). English phonetics and phonology: a practical course.
4th ed. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
- https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialsoflinguistics2/chapter/3-4-
describing-consonants-manner/
