LinguisticsLesson 2 of 4 in the course Phonetics

Articulatory Phonetics: Speech Production, Airstreams, and Sound Sources

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 4 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces articulatory phonetics and the physiological system that produces speech. Understanding how airflow is shaped into sound provides a foundation for studying individual speech sounds.

Articulatory phonetics studies how people produce speech sounds through the coordinated movement of physiological structures. In broad terms, speech production transforms aerodynamic energy into acoustic energy.

All flashcards

How do aerodynamic and acoustic energy differ in speech production?
Aerodynamic energy involves air pressure and airflow; acoustic energy consists of pressure variations traveling as sound waves.
What are active and passive articulators?
The active articulator moves to create a constriction; the passive articulator is the surface toward which it moves.
What roles do air cavities, pistons, and air valves play?
Cavities contain air, pistons initiate cavity-volume changes, and valves regulate airflow between cavities.
How does an ejective use pressure to produce outward airflow?
With the glottis closed, raising the larynx reduces the trapped oral-cavity volume and raises its pressure; releasing the oral closure lets air flow out.
Which articulatory features primarily shape vowel quality?
Tongue height and frontness or backness are principal dimensions; lip shape also modifies vowel quality.

Quiz questions

  1. What initiates a pulmonic airstream?Answer: Lung-volume changes in the subglottal cavity.
  2. What is the passive articulator in a consonant constriction?Answer: The surface toward which the active articulator moves.
  3. How is an affricate articulated?Answer: It begins with a stop and releases into a fricative at the same place.
  4. What is the source of periodic sound in an ordinary voiced vowel?Answer: Vibration of the vocal folds.
  5. What does electropalatography record during speech?Answer: Tongue-palate contact patterns, including their location and duration.

Based on the Wikipedia article Articulatory phonetics, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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