1. Why should we study Phonetics?
1.1. We need to study Phonetics so that we can improve our pronunciation by learning to produce each sound of Standard English correctly.
1.2. It helps us to understand the symbols used in the dictionaries, which represent the pronuntiation of the words.
2. How do we produce sounds?
2.1. To produce sound, we need more than half of a human body.
2.2. There are three groups of systems or bodily organs needed for the production of spoken languages.
2.2.1. Respiratory system.
2.2.1.1. The primary function of this system is breathing but it also provides the stream of air needed to produce the sounds we make when we speak.
2.2.2. Articulatory system.
2.2.2.1. It consists of the nose, lips and the mouth and its contents, including specially the teeth and tongue.
2.2.2.1.1. We have two kinds of articulators.
2.2.3. Phonatory system.
2.2.3.1. It is formed by the larynx or voice box. The primary function of the larynx is to act as a valve which can close off the lungs.
3. What is Phonetics?
3.1. It is the study and systematic clasification of the sounds made in spoken languages.
4. Is Phonetics the same as Phonology?
4.1. No, it is not.
4.1.1. Phonetics is about the physical production and perception of sounds of speech. It is the study of physical aspects of speech. It studies all possible speech sounds.
4.1.2. Phonology deals with the system and pattern of speech sounds in a language. It describes the way sounds function within a given language or across languages.
5. History of Phonetics.
5.1. 500 B.C. Panini, an indian grammarian worked on Sanskrit with highly sistematic methods. His worked contributed to the birth of linguistic science in Western Europe in the 19th century.
5.2. By 1886, International Phonetic Association (IPA) was founded.
5.2.1. IPA started publications of a special phonetic magazine “Le Mattre Phonetique”. It stated phonetic symbols for sounds of many existing languages.
5.2.2. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) was created. It allows linguists to explain the pronunciation of any language with one writing system.
5.3. By 1829, laryngoscope was invented.
5.4. By 1852, first observations of the vocal cords were made.
5.5. By 1877, gramophone was invented.
6. Branches of Phonetics.
6.1. Acoustic Phonetics.
6.1.1. It studies the way sounds are transmitted through the air as sound waves we produce when we speak.
6.2. Auditory Phonetics.
6.2.1. It studies the way we percieve the sounds.
6.3. Articulatory Phonetics.
6.3.1. It is interested in the movement of various parts of the vocal tract during speech.