Lesson 2: Phonetics /ʊ/ /æ/ /ʃ/ - Definition

Phonetics /ʊ/ /æ/ /ʃ/

Definition:
Phonetics is the scientific study of speech sounds — how they are produced (by our mouth), how they travel (as sound waves), and how they are heard (by our ears).

It is not about grammar or meaning, but only about the sounds themselves.

Three Main Branches of Phonetics

1.      Articulatory phonetics – how sounds are made using the tongue, lips, vocal cords, etc.

2.      Acoustic phonetics – how sounds travel as sound waves.

3.      Auditory phonetics – how our ears and brain hear and understand those sounds.

Example:

·         The word “pen” is written in phonetic transcription as /pen/.

·         The /p/ is made by closing lips (articulatory), it has a certain burst sound (acoustic), and you hear it differently from /b/ (auditory).

Phonetics is the branch of linguistics that studies the sounds of human speech—how they are produced, transmitted, and perceived.

It focuses on:

1.      Articulatory phonetics – how speech sounds are made using the lips, tongue, vocal cords, etc.

o    Example: how you move your tongue to pronounce /t/ or /k/.

2.      Acoustic phonetics – the physical properties of sounds (like frequency, pitch, and duration) as sound waves.

o    Example: measuring how high or low a vowel sounds.

3.      Auditory phonetics – how the ear, brain, and nervous system perceive and process sounds.

o    Example: why some people struggle to hear differences between /r/ and /l/.

1. Articulatory Phonetics

Definition: The study of how speech sounds are produced by the movement of the speech organs

 (like the lips, tongue, teeth, and vocal cords).
Example: The difference between /p/ and /b/ is explained by articulatory phonetics because /p/ is voiceless and /b/ is voiced.
Bangla Meaning: উচ্চারণ সংক্রান্ত ধ্বনিতত্ত্ব, যেখানে আমরা শিখি কোন অঙ্গ কীভাবে শব্দ তৈরি করে।

2. Acoustic Phonetics

Definition: The study of the physical properties of speech sounds, such as frequency, pitch, and amplitude. This is more about the sound waves than the mouth movements.
Example: Measuring the frequency of the vowel /i/ in “see” is acoustic phonetics.
Bangla Meaning: শব্দের ধ্বনির বৈজ্ঞানিক বৈশিষ্ট্য নিয়ে গবেষণা।

3. Auditory Phonetics

Definition: The study of how speech sounds are perceived by the

ear, auditory nerve, and brain.
Example: How you can distinguish between /s/ and /ʃ/ when listening to English is auditory phonetics.
Bangla Meaning: শব্দ কিভাবে কানে এবং মস্তিষ্কে বোঝা যায় তা নিয়ে ধ্বনিতত্ত্ব।

4. Stress

Definition: Emphasis placed on a particular syllable of a word or on a particular word in a sentence.
Example: In ‘REcord’ (noun) vs. ‘reCORD’ (verb), the stress changes meaning.
Bangla Meaning: উচ্চারণে জোর দেওয়া।

5. Intonation

Definition: The rise and fall of pitch in speech, which can change meaning or express emotion.
Example: “You’re coming?” (rising intonation → question) vs. “You’re coming.”

(falling intonation → statement).
Bangla Meaning: বাক্যের সুর বা টোন।

6. Rhythm

Definition: The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in speech, giving it a flow.
Example: English is stress-timed: “I am going to the market.”
Bangla Meaning: বাক্য বা শব্দের ছন্দ বা ধারাবাহিকতা।

7. Phonetic Transcription

Definition: Writing words the way they are pronounced using symbols

(often IPA – International Phonetic Alphabet).
Example: “Cat” → /kæt/, “Phone” → /foʊn/
Bangla Meaning: ধ্বনির চিহ্ন ব্যবহার করে শব্দের উচ্চারণ লেখা।

8. Connected Speech, Accents, and Advanced Transcription

• Connected Speech: How words blend together when speaking naturally.
  Example: “I want to go” → sounds like /aɪ wɒnə goʊ/.
  - Accents: Variations in pronunciation based on region, country, or social group.
  Example: British vs. American English: “tomato” → /təˈmɑːtoʊ/ (UK), /təˈmeɪtoʊ/ (US).
  - Advanced Transcription: Detailed phonetic transcription capturing subtle features like aspiration, nasalization, or stress.

• Bangla Meaning:

·         সংযুক্ত উচ্চারণ: কথোপকথনে শব্দগুলো একত্রে উচ্চারিত হওয়া।

·         উচ্চারণ বৈচিত্র্য: আঞ্চলিক বা সামাজিক উচ্চারণ।

·         উন্নত লিপ্যন্তর: শব্দের সূক্ষ্ম উচ্চারণ প্রকাশ করা।

Accent

· Accent means the way a person speaks a language.

. It shows the influence of their region, country, or mother tongue.

·         Example:

o    A British accent

o    An American accent

o    A Bangladeshi accent when speaking English

So, accent = style of speaking.

Pronunciation

·         Pronunciation means how correctly you say the sounds and words.

·         It is about the exact sounds, stress, and intonation in a word.

The pronunciation of each letter in the abbreviation:

·         Example:

o    Correct pronunciation of schedule in British English is /ˈʃedjuːl/,

but in American English /ˈskedʒuːl/.

So, pronunciation = correctness of sounds.