VowelSound in spoken language, articulated with an open vocal tractIPA: Vowels audiofull chartLegend: unrounded • roundedA vowel is a speech sound pronounced with minimal to no stricture in the vocal tract. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, loudness, and length. They are usually voiced and are closely involved in prosodic variation such as tone, intonation and stress.
International Phonetic AlphabetSystem of phonetic notationThe International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetic system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin script. It was devised by the International Phonetic Association, starting in the late 19th century, as a standard written representation for the sounds of speech.
ConsonantSpeech sound articulated by closing the vocal tract fully or partially In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract.
DiacriticModifier mark added to a letterLatin letter A with multiple diacriticsA diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical sign, or accent) is a glyph added to a letter or to a basic glyph. The term derives from the Ancient Greekδιακριτικός (diakritikós, "distinguishing"), from διακρίνω (diakrínō, "to distinguish"). The word diacritic is a noun, though it is sometimes used in an attributive sense, whereas diacritical is only an adjective.Place of articulationPlace in the mouth consonants are articulatedCommon approximate places of articulation (passive & active):1. Exo-labial, 2. Endo-labial, 3. Dental, 4. Alveolar, 5. Post-alveolar, 6. Pre-palatal, 7. Palatal, 8. Velar, 9. Uvular, 10. Pharyngeal, 11. Glottal, 12. Epiglottal, 13. Radical, 14. Postero-dorsal, 15. Antero-dorsal, 16. Laminal, 17. Apical, 18.
Manner of articulationIn articulatory phonetics, the manner of articulation is the configuration and interaction of the articulators (speech organs such as the tongue, lips, and palate) when making a speech sound. The primary parameters of manner are stricture (degree of constriction) – that is, how closely the speech organs approach one another – and the resulting airflow. Manner is paired with place of articulation and phonation in defining consonants.PhonologyPhonology (formerly also phonemics or phonematics) is the branch of linguistics that concerns how languages organize the foundational elements that make their words. In spoken languages, these are phonemes like vowel and consonant sounds that affect meaning. Examples of this effect can be found in comparisons of English words like bat and gnat. In sign languages, these are components of signs such as hand shape and location.
PhonemeBasic unit of phonology A phoneme (/ˈfoʊniːm/ FOH-neem) is a set of similar speech sounds that are perceptually regarded by the speakers of a language as a single basic sound—the smallest possible phonetic unit—that helps distinguish one word from another. All languages contain phonemes (or the spatial–gestural equivalent in sign languages), and all spoken languages include both consonant and vowel phonemes.
Palatalization (phonetics)In phonetics, palatalization ( , US also ) or palatization is a way of pronouncing a consonant in which part of the tongue is moved close to the hard palate. Consonants pronounced this way are said to be palatalized and are transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet by affixing a superscript j, ⟨ʲ⟩, to the base letter.PhoneticsPhonetics is a branch of linguistics that mainly concerns the articulation, sound wave properties, and perception of speech sounds. The field of phonetics is traditionally divided into three sub-disciplines: articulatory phonetics, acoustic phonetics, and auditory phonetics. Linguists who specialize in studying these physical properties of vocalization are phoneticians. Traditionally, the minimal linguistic unit of phonetics is the phone, an individual speech sound.
Articulatory phoneticsBranch of linguistics studying how humans make sounds The field of articulatory phonetics is a subfield of phonetics that studies articulation and ways that humans produce speech. Articulatory phoneticians explain how humans produce speech sounds via the interaction of different physiological structures. Generally, articulatory phonetics is concerned with the transformation of aerodynamic energy into acoustic energy.
MarkednessIn linguistics and social sciences, markedness is the state of standing out as nontypical or divergent as opposed to regular or common. The typical form or meaning of a term is said to be unmarked versus the nontypical marked form or meaning. In linguistics, markedness involves the characterization of a "normal" linguistic unit against one or more of its possible "irregular" forms.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.