Module 8: Phonetics

Phonetics is the science of speech sounds, treating the smallest linguistic units. In this lesson you will learn about the basics of phonetics, which are consonant- and vowel sounds, as well as prosody. You will also get an insight into the application of the science of phonetics.

Introduction to Phonetics

Phonetics is the study of the physical sounds of human speech, including their production, transmission, and reception.

Lesson 1: Consonants

In this lesson, we will learn what consonants are and how they are characterised. Therefore, we will look at the vocal tract, in order to understand where and how different consonant sounds are produced.

Lesson 2: Vowels

You have probably already heard about vowels, but in this lesson, you will be familiarised with a more in-depth explanation of what vowel sounds really are, from a scientific point of view. We will look at how they are produced, by which parts of the vocal tract, and how they differ between one another.

Lesson 3: Prosody

This lesson treats another important aspect of phonetics which is probably less known than the notions of consonants and vowels. We are talking about prosody. In order to understand what the umbrella term of prosody means, we will look at the four most important notions in this field, which are stress, rhythm, speech tempo and intonation.

Lesson 4: Phonetics applied

After having learned about the most important theoretical aspects of the science of phonetics, we think it is important to consider some more practical applications of this science. Phonetics, describing the very basic, smallest units of spoken language, is used as a component of many applications of linguistics. We will focus on two fields here: Phonetic differences between different dialects and articulatory disorders manifesting in malproduction of speech sounds.

Final Quiz

How are consonants determined?
Determine the following consonants:
- t:
- m:
- d:
How are vowels determined?
What is the difference between the two words?
- lick vs leek :
- sneaker vs. snooker:
Why is word-stress important in English? Give an example.
What is intonation and why is it important in the English language?
Name two sounds/pronunciations which are produced differently in British Received Pronunciation (RP) and General American and give two examples (words pronounced differently) for each difference named:
Name three disorders concerning speech and articulation: