Phonetics


 * PRONUNCIATION. **

** Phonetics ** is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech, or—in the case of sign languages —the equivalent aspects of sign. It is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds or signs ( phones ): their physiological production, acoustic properties, auditory perception, and neurophysiologic status. Phonology, on the other hand, is concerned with the abstract, grammatical characterization of systems of sounds or signs. ** Phonic transcription. ** The International Phonetic Alphabet is used as the basis for the phonetic transcription of speech. It is based on the Latin alphabet and is able to transcribe most featuresof speech such as consonants, vowels, and suprasegmental features. Every documented phoneme available within the known languages in the world is assigned its own corresponding symbol. Click on the picture to go to the source page and listen the sounds.

** Prosody ** (is the rhythm, stress , and intonation of speech ) may reflect various features of the speaker or the utterance: the emotional state of the speaker; the form of the utterance (statement, question, or command); the presence of irony or sarcasm; emphasis, contrast, and focus ; or other elements of language that may not be encoded by grammar or choice of vocabulary. ** Rhythm (isochrony) **is the postulated rhythmic division of time into equal portions by a language. Three alternative ways in which a language can divide time are postulated: 1. The temporal duration between two stressed syllables is equal (stress-timed); 2. The duration of every syllable is equal (syllable-timed); 3. The duration of every mora is equaled (mora-timed). ** Stress ** is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word, or to certain words in a phrase or sentence. The term is also used for similar patterns of phonetic prominence inside syllables. ** Intonation ** is variation of pitch while speaking which is not used to distinguish words. It contrasts with tone, in which pitch variation //does// distinguish words. Generally speaking, the following intonations are distinguished: //** 1. **// ** Rising Intonation **means the pitch of the voice increases over time [ ↗ ]; In English, elision is often unintentional, giving a result that may in some cases be impressionistically described as " slurred " or "muted." Often, however, the elision is deliberate, as in the use of contractions.
 * 2. Falling Intonation ** means that the pitch decreases with time [ ↘ ];
 * 3. Dipping Intonation ** falls and then rises [ ↘↗ ];
 * 4. Peaking Intonation ** rises and then falls [ ↗↘ ].
 * Elision ** is the omission of one or more sounds (such as a vowel, a consonant , or a whole syllable ) in a word or phrase, producing a result that is easier for the speaker to pronounce. Sometimes, sounds may be elided for euphonic effect.