Linguistics Exam 1

Front 1

phonetics

Back 1

The study of the inventory and structure of the sounds of language.

Front 2

phones

Back 2

Any sounds used in human language; speech sounds

Front 3

articulatory phonetics

Back 3

An approach to phonetics that studies the physiological mechanisms of speech production.

Front 4

acoustic phonetics

Back 4

An approach to phonetics that is concerned with measuring and analyzing the physical properties of sound waves produced when we speak.

Front 5

International Phonetic Alphabet

Back 5

A system for transcribing the sounds of speech that attempts to represent each sound of human speech with a single symbol.

Front 6

segments

Back 6

Individual speech sounds.

Front 7

syllable

Back 7

A unit of linguistic structure that consists of a syllabic element and any segments that are associated with it.

Front 8

features

Back 8

The smallest unit of analysis of phonological structure, combinations of which make up segments, e.g. nasal, continuant

Front 9

broad transcription

Back 9

Phonetic transcription that uses a relatively simple set of symbols to represent contrasting segments

Front 10

diacritics

Back 10

Marks added to a phonetic symbol to alter tis value in some way, e.g. a circle under a symbol to indicate voicelessness

Front 11

narrow transcription

Back 11

Phonetic transcription that uses a fairly elaborate set of symbols and diacritics to show phonetic detail.

Front 12

larynx

Back 12

The box-like structure located in the throat through which air passes during speech production; commonly known as the voice box.

Front 13

vocal folds/cords

Back 13

A set of muscles inside the larynx that may be positioned in various ways to produce different glottal states.

Front 14

pharynx

Back 14

The area of the throat between the uvula and the larynx.

Front 15

vocal tract

Back 15

The oral cavity, nasal cavity, and pharynx.

Front 16

glottis

Back 16

The space between the vocal folds.

Front 17

voiceless

Back 17

The glottal state at which the vocal folds are pulled apart, allowing air to pass directly the the glottis, e.g., [t], [s], [f]

Front 18

voiced

Back 18

The glottal state in which the vocal folds are brought close together but not tightly closed, causing air passing through them to vibrate, e.g., [ae], [z], [m]

Front 19

sound classes/ class (sounds)

Back 19

A group of sounds that shares certain phonetic properties, e.g., all voiced sounds

Front 20

vowels

Back 20

Resonant, syllabic sounds produced with less obstruction in the vocal tract than required for glides.

Front 21

consonants

Back 21

Sounds that are produced with a narrow or complete closure in the vocal tract.

Front 22

glides

Back 22

Sounds that are produced with an articulation like that of a vowel, but move quickly to another articulation, e.g., [j] [w]

Front 23

syllabic

Back 23

A major phonological class feature assigned to segments that function as the nuclei of syllables (vowels and liquids)

Front 24

nonsyllabic

Back 24

Sounds that do not act as syllabic peaks, as distinguished from syllabic sounds

Front 25

sonorous

Back 25

Characterized by a relatively open vocal tract with relatively little obstruction of airflow as a sound is made, e.g., vowels

Front 26

nucleus

Back 26

A vocalic element that forms the core of a syllable

Front 27

places/points of articulation

Back 27

The points at which the airstream is modified int he vocal tract to produce phones

Front 28

tip

Back 28

the narrow area at the front of the tongue

Front 29

blade

Back 29

The area of the tongue just behind the tip

Front 30

body

Back 30

The main mass of the tongue

Front 31

back

Back 31

The part of the tongue that is hindmost but still lies in the mouth

Front 32

dorsum

Back 32

The body and the back of the tongue

Front 33

root

Back 33

The part of the tongue that is contained in the upper part of the throat

Front 34

labial

Back 34

Sounds made with closure or near closure of the lips, e.g., the initial sounds of win and forget

Front 35

bilabial

Back 35

Involving both lips, e.g., p, b, and m

Front 36

labiodentals

Back 36

Sounds involving the lower lip and upper teeth, e.g., the initial sounds of freedom and vintage

Front 37

dentals

Back 37

Sounds made with the tongue placed against or near the teeth

Front 38

interdentals

Back 38

Sounds made with the tongue placed between the teeth, e.g., [theta]

Front 39

alveolar ridge

Back 39

The small ridge just behind the upper front teeth

Front 40

alveolar sounds

Back 40

Sounds that are articulated at the small ridge just behind the upper front teeth

Front 41

alveopalatal

Back 41

The area just behind the alveolar ridge where the roof of the mouth rises sharply

Front 42

palate

Back 42

The highest part of the roof of the mouth

Front 43

palatals

Back 43

Sounds produced with the tongue on or near the palate, e.g., [j]

Front 44

velum

Back 44

The soft area toward the rear of the roof of the mouth

Front 45

velars

Back 45

Sounds made with the tongue touching or near the velum, e.g., [k]

Front 46

labiovelar

Back 46

Sounds made with the tongue raised near the velum and the lips rounded at the same time, e.g., the initial sound of wound

Front 47

primary place of articulation

Back 47

The most important place where the airflow is modified

Front 48

secondary place of articulation

Back 48

A second and less important place where the airflow is modified

Front 49

uvula

Back 49

The small fleshy flap of tissue that hangs down from the velum

Front 50

uvulars

Back 50

Sounds made with the tongue near or touching the uvula

Front 51

pharyngeals

Back 51

Sounds made through the modification of airflow in the pharynx by retracting the tongue or constricting the pharynx

Front 52

glottals

Back 52

Sounds produced by using the vocal folds as the primary articulators, e.g., [h]

Front 53

manners of articulation

Back 53

The various configurations produced by positioning the lips, tongue, velum, and glottis in different ways, e.g., nasal, fricative, liquid

Front 54

oral phones

Back 54

Sounds produced with the velum raised and the airflow through the passage cut off

Front 55

nasal phones

Back 55

Sounds produced by lowering the velum, allowing air to pass through the nasal passages

Front 56

stops

Back 56

Sounds made with a complete and momentary closure of airflow through the vocal tract, e.g., [p], [t], [k]

Front 57

fricatives

Back 57

Consonants produced with a continuous airflow through the mouth accompanied by a continuous audible noise, e.g., [f]

Front 58

continuants

Back 58

Sounds that are produced with a continuous airflow through the mouth

Front 59

affricates

Back 59

Noncontinuant consonants that show a slow release of the closure, e.g., [tf, dz]

Front 60

strident

Back 60

A place feature of fricatives and affricates characterized by greater acoustic noise [s, z]

Front 61

nonstrident

Back 61

Coronal fricatives and affricates that have less acoustic noise than stridents

Front 62

sibilant

Back 62

another word for strident

Front 63

aspiration

Back 63

The lag in the onset of vocalic voicing - accompanied by the release of air - that is heard after the release of certain stops in English, e.g., the first sound of top

Front 64

unreleased stop

Back 64

At the end of a stop, the articulator remains at the place of articulation, e.g., the tongue stays at the alveolar ridge at the end of [t]

Front 65

liquids

Back 65

A class of consonants containing l and r sounds and their variants

Front 66

laterals

Back 66

Sounds made with the sides of the tongue lowered, e.g., varieties of l

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retroflex

Back 67

Sounds produced by curling the tongue tip back into the mouth, e.g., American English upside-down r

Front 68

flap

Back 68

A sound commonly identified with r and produced when the tongue tip strikes the alveolar ridge as it passes across it, e.g., in North American English, the medial consonant in bitter and bidder

Front 69

syllabic liquids

Back 69

Liquids that function as syllabic nuclei (the l in bottle)

Front 70

syllabic nasals

Back 70

Nasals that function as syllabic nuclei (the n in button)