Basics
What does phonetics study?
It studies speech sounds and how they are produced, transmitted and perceived.
“We study how the tongue produces the sound /iː/.”
Phonetics or phonology?
Phonetics
What does segmental phonetics study?
Individual speech sounds, especially vowels and consonants.
What does auditory phonetics study?
How speech sounds are heard, distinguished and perceived.
What usually happens to intonation in a normal statement such as “You’re coming.”?
It usually has falling intonation.
What are the three main stages of speech?
Production → transmission → perception.
“We study how /p/ and /b/ distinguish the words pin and bin.”
Phonetics or phonology?
Phonology
Name three suprasegmental features.
Stress, rhythm and intonation.
(Syllables and tempo are also acceptable.)
What does acoustic phonetics study?
The physical properties of speech sounds
What intonation is commonly used in a yes/no question such as “You’re coming?”?
Rising intonation.
What are the three branches connected with these stages?
Articulatory, acoustic and auditory phonetics.
Which one focuses more on the physical properties of sounds: phonetics or phonology?
Phonetics
Is word stress a segmental or suprasegmental feature?
Suprasegmental
Name two acoustic characteristics of a sound.
Frequency, amplitude, intensity, duration or pitch.
(Any two.)
What is the difference between REcord and reCORD?
The stress changes.
REcord — noun
reCORD — verb.
What is the difference between speech sounds and phonemes?
A speech sound is a physical sound, while a phoneme is a sound unit that can distinguish meaning in a language.
Which one studies the functional organization of sounds in a particular language?
Phonology
What is the difference between segmental and suprasegmental features?
Segmental features concern individual sounds, while suprasegmental features operate over sounds or larger units such as syllables, words and sentences.
What instrument or visual representation can be used to analyze the acoustic properties of speech?
A spectrogram
Why is intonation important in communication?
It can show whether something is a statement, question, attitude, emotion or communicative intention.
Why can pronunciation be considered meaningful, not just physical?
Because changes in sounds, stress or intonation can change the meaning or communicative intention of an utterance.
In pin and bin, /p/ and /b/ are different phonemes. Why?
Because replacing /p/ with /b/ changes the meaning of the word.
What can happen if we change stress in a sentence?
The focus or intended meaning can change.
Example:
I didn’t say she stole the money.
I didn’t say she stole the money.
I didn’t say she stole the money
Which branch would be most directly involved in studying the physical characteristics of a sound wave?
Acoustic phonetics
Say “You’re coming?” twice: first as a genuine question, then as if you are surprised or doubtful. What should change?
Intonation, stress and/or voice movement can change to express a different attitude or intention