This document summarizes a workshop on English phonetics and phonology presented by Samira Lakhani. The workshop covered basic concepts in English phonetics including speech sounds, pronunciation variations between accents, and an overview of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. It discussed challenges in learning English phonetics such as inability to hear certain sounds and interference from one's first language. The workshop also covered classification of consonant and vowel sounds, differences between spelling and pronunciation in English, and tips for pronunciation practice.

1. LAXMI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
A WORKSHOP ON ENGLISH
PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY
DESIGNED BY: SAMIRA LAKHANI
TEACHER EDUCATOR

2. What will we learn today??
 Basic concepts in English phonetics.
 Get an understanding of various speech
sounds in English.
 Production of speech sound.
 Video-1

3. English Pronunciation
 We use the term ‘accents’ to refer to differences in
pronunciations.
 Pronunciation can vary with cultures, regions and speakers.
 There are two major standard varieties in English
pronunciation: British English and American English.
 Within British English and American English there are also a
variety of accents. Some of them have received more
attention than others from phoneticians and
phonologists.
 These are Received pronunciation (RP)* and General
American (GA).
 “c” in “cat” pronounced as /k/; and
 “face” pronounced as /s/

4. What is phonetics?
 Phonetics – word derived from the Greek word
phone = sound/voice.
 It is a fundamental branch of Linguistics.
 It is the study of Speech sounds.
 It has three main sub-aspects.
1. how they’re produced (articulatory phonetics)
2. their physical characteristics (acoustic
phonetics) and
3. how they’re perceived (auditory phonetics).

5. Articulatory Phonetics
 It describes how vowels and consonants are
produced or “articulated” in various parts of
the mouth and throat

6. Acoustic Phonetics
 It’s a study of how speech sounds are
transmitted: when sound travels through the
air from the speaker's mouth to the hearer's
ear it does so in the form of vibrations in the
air.

7. Auditory Phonetics
 It’s a study of how speech sounds are
perceived: looks at the way in which the
hearer’s brain decodes the sound waves back
into the vowels and consonants originally
intended by the speaker.
 ESL- video

8. Phonology
The study of the sound patterns in languages
 Phonemes (vowels and consonants)
 Prosody (stress, rhythm and intonation)
8

9. Morphology
 The study of the structure of words
1. Why- scooter with ‘c’ not ‘k’?
2. knight – why ‘k’ is silent?
9

10. Syntax
 The study of the ways in which words
combine into units such as Phrase, Clause and
Sentence [grammar].
10

11. Semantics
 The study of the meaning of words and
sentences, their denotations, connotations,
implications and ambiguities
11

12. Why it is difficult to
learn correct English???

13. CHALLENGES IN LEARNING
PHONETICS
INABILITY THE FIRST
TO LANGUAGE
HEAR INTERFERES
WITH ENGLISH
CERTAIN
PRONUNCIATION
SOUNDS

14. The Sounds of English and Their
Representation
 In English, there is no one-to-one relation between the
system of writing and the system of pronunciation.
 The alphabet which we use to write English has 26
letters but in (Standard British) English there are
approximately 44 speech sounds.
 The number of speech sounds in English varies from
dialect to dialect, and any actual tally depends greatly on
the interpretation of the researcher doing the counting.
 To represent the basic sound of spoken languages
linguists use a set of phonetic symbols called the
International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

15. Difference of written alphabets and
oral speech sounds in English
Oral Written
Pure Vowels [short 12
vowels]
5
Diphthongs [long 8
vowels]
Consonants 24 21
15

16. English is not a
phonographic language
 Many same sounds have several different
spellings,
e.g. go, though, foe, slow, boat
 Many “same spellings” have different sounds,
e.g. <ough>: though, cough, bough, through,
thought, and enough.
16

17. Let’s also understand!
Homophones Homonyms
 A word that has same  A word that has both the
pronunciation but spelling same pronunciation and
and meaning differ. same spelling but meaning
 E.g. air/heir differs.
 Bare/bear  e.g. Bill- beak/statement of
charges.
 Not/knot
 Fair – just/place of
 No/know
entertainment
 Son/sun
 piece/peace

18. Phonetic chart of vowels and
consonants

19. Organogram

21.  The principal cavities:
-the pharyngeal cavity
-the oral cavity
-the nasal cavity
-the labial cavity

22. The Speech Organs
 Pharynx
 Oral Cavity
 Nasal Cavity
 Uvula
 Tongue
(tip/blade/front/
middle/back/root)
 Hard Palate
 Soft Palate (Velum)
 Alveolar Ridge
(teeth-ridge)
 Teeth (upper &lower)
 Lips (upper &lower)
 Epiglottis

23. Classifying the Consonants Sounds of English According to
the manner of articulation (how the breath is used) -
During production of these sounds, the airflow from the lungs is completely
Stops
blocked at some point, then released. In English, they are /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/,
/Plosives/
and /g/.
The flow of air is constricted, but not totally stopped or blocked. In English,
Fricatives these include /f/, /v/, / /, / /,
/s/, /z/, / /, / /, and /h/.
These sounds begin like stops, with a complete blockage of air/closure of the
Affricates vocal tract, and end with a restricted flow of air like fricatives. English has
two affricates - the / / sounds of "church" and the / / of "judge".
Nasals are sounds made with air passing through the nose. In English, these
Nasals
are /m/, /n/, and / /.
Lateral consonants allow the air to escape at the sides of the tongue. In
Laterals
English there is only one such sound - /l/
In the production of an approximant, one articulator is close to another, but
the vocal tract is not narrowed to such an extent that a turbulent airstream is
Approximants
produced. In English, these are /j/, /w/ and /r/. Approximants /j/ and /w/ are
also referred to as semi-vowels.

24. According to the place of articulation
(where in the mouth or throat the sound
is produced) the consonants are:
Bilabial: with both lips /p/, /b/, /m/
Labiodental: between lower lip and upper
/f/, /v/
teeth
Dental/Interdental: between the teeth / /, / /
Alveolar: the ridge behind the upper front /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /n/,
teeth /l/, /r/
Alveo-palatal (or post-alveolar): it is the
/ /, / /, / /, /
area between
the alveolar ridge and the hard palate /
Palatal: hard palate, or 'roof' of the mouth' /j/
Velar: the soft palate or velum /k/, /g/, / /
Glottal (laryngeal): space between the vocal
/h/
cords

27. Some tips…remember
 A word in isolation and in a sentence spoken
differently, so Don’t be influenced by English
spelling!!
 Video-2
Refer the below web link for more practice on
phonetics:
 http://www.cambridgeenglishonline.com/Ph
onetics_Focus/

28. THANK YOU