Phonetics And Word Formation Questions Medium
The articulatory phonetics branch is a subfield of phonetics that focuses on the physical production of speech sounds. It examines how speech sounds are produced by the articulatory organs, such as the lips, tongue, teeth, vocal cords, and other parts of the vocal tract.
Articulatory phonetics studies the movements and positions of these articulatory organs during speech production. It analyzes the various articulatory gestures involved in producing different speech sounds, including consonants, vowels, and other phonetic elements.
One of the key aspects studied in articulatory phonetics is the manner of articulation, which refers to how the airflow is obstructed or modified to produce different sounds. For example, the articulatory gestures involved in producing plosive sounds like /p/ or /b/ involve a complete closure of the vocal tract followed by a sudden release of air.
Another important aspect studied in articulatory phonetics is the place of articulation, which refers to the specific location in the vocal tract where the airflow is obstructed or modified. For instance, the place of articulation for the sound /t/ is the alveolar ridge, where the tongue makes contact with the upper teeth ridge.
Articulatory phonetics also investigates other factors that influence speech production, such as voicing, which refers to the vibration of the vocal cords during sound production. Sounds like /z/ or /v/ are voiced, while sounds like /s/ or /f/ are voiceless.
Furthermore, articulatory phonetics explores coarticulation, which refers to the phenomenon where the articulatory gestures for one sound overlap with those of neighboring sounds. This helps to explain why speech sounds can vary depending on their context within a word or sentence.
Overall, the articulatory phonetics branch provides a detailed understanding of how speech sounds are physically produced, allowing linguists to analyze and describe the intricate mechanisms involved in human speech production.