Acoustic Phonetics Flashcards by Lauren Halkes

What are acoustic phonetics?

The recorded and measured vibrations of speech sounds (ex: /m/ vs. /s/) as waveforms

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T/F: frequencies will be higher when the lips are rounded

False; it will be lower (consider rounding lips when saying [k] vs unrounded saying [k])

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Where does voicing and phonation come from?

The glottis (specifically vocal folds)

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[p] [b] and [m] are what place of articulation?

Bilabial

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[f] and [v] are what place of articulation?

Labiodental

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[θ] and [ð] are what place of articulation?

Interdental

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[d s z n l ɹ] are what place of articulation?

Alveolar

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[ʃ ʒ ʧ ʤ] are what place of articulation?

Postalveolar

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[j] is what place of articulation?

Palatal

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[k g ŋ] are what place of articulation?

Velar

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[ʔ] is what place of articulation?

Glottal

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[w ʍ] are what place of articulation?

Labio-velar

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[p t k b d g n m ŋ] are what manner of articulation?

Stops

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[v θ ð s z ʃ ʒ ʍ] are what manner of articulation?

Fricatives

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[l ɹ w j] are what manner of articulation?

Approximates

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[ʧ ʤ] are what manner of articulation?

Affricates

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What are considered obstruents?

Oral stops, fricatives, affricates

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What are considered sonorants?

Nasal stops, approximants, glides,
vowels

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What are considered sibilants?

[s z ʃ ʒ]

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What are considered liquids?

[l ɹ]

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Define characteristics of a falling diphthong

The intensity of the sound decreases. As mouth
closes, the sound falls away

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Define characteristics of a rising diphthong

The intensity of the sound increases. As mouth opens, the sound rises

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Define free variation

A difference in sound found in the same environment across speakers which does not alter the meaning of the word

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Define the Canadian Raising

/aj/ becomes [ʌj] when it is before a voiceless consonant
it is [aj] elsewhere
aw/ becomes [ʌw] when it is before a voiceless consonant
[aw] elsewhere

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How does sound propogate through the air?

The sound source creates vibrations in surrounding medium (ex: air). The source continues to vibrate the medium, the vibrations propagate away from the source at the speed of sound, forming a sound wave

What are the four steps of sound waves to become speech?

1. a stream of air is pushed out of the body 2. the stream has varying pressure based on vocal tract actions 3. the air carries waves of varying pressure to the listener 4. the soundwaves are interpreted as speech

T/F: a sine wave measures speech

False; it measures sound and acts as a baseline

T/F: a sine wave that is closer to the neutral value is quieter

True

T/F: a sine wave that is further from the neutral value is quieter

False; it is louder

T/F: a sine wave with a less aggressive wave pattern has a higher pitch

False; it has a lower pitch

T/F: a sine wave with a more aggressive wave pattern has a higher pitch

True

How is the frequency of a wave measured?

By the cycles per second

T/F: all waves have different intensity

False; some can have the same intensity

How can one differentiate between two soundwaves that have the same intensity?

By examining the frequency of repetition

Define spectrogram

A visual representation of the spectrum of a sound

Define spectrum

A display of frequency and intensity of the harmonic components of a wave over time

Frequency, intensity and time are the three key dimensions of what?

Acoustic analysis

What is displayed on the vertical axis of a spectrogram?

Frequency

What is displayed on the horizontal axis of a spectrogram?

Time

What is displayed by the darkness of a spectrogram?

Intensity

Stops have what degree of stricture?

No air passes out through mouth

Fricatives have what degree of stricture?

Partial obstruction, frication

Approximates have what degree of stricture?

Little obstruction, no frication

Vowels have what degree of stricture?

Stricture no greater than [i]

How are oral stops identified?

By a closure of both oral and nasal passages with no air passing out through the mouth

T/F: oral stops can be voiced or voiceless

True

How can you tell if an oral stop is voiced or voiceless?

Voiced: sound is heard from the onset Voiceless: no sound from the onset until the release

How are fricatives identified?

By a constriction in the oral cavity which allows air to pass, but closed enough to cause frication

How are affricates identified?

As a a combination of sounds: a stop + a fricative (of same place of articulation & voicing)

T/F: affricates can have a stop and a fricative combination that involves multiple places of articulation and voicing

False; they must be of same place of articulation and voicing

How are nasal stops defined?

By air passing out through the nasal passage, not the mouth

T/F: nasal stops can be syllabic

True

Sonorants include which categories of sound?

1. approximates (glides) 2. liquids (laterals) 3. rhotic sounds (taps, flaps, trills)

What are the five types of phonation?

1.Falsetto 2.Vibrato 3.Creaky voice or vocal fry 4.Breathy voice or murmur 5.Modal voicing

T/F: suprasegmentals extend over only ONE segment

False; they extend over mutiple segments

What are the three types of suprasegmentals?

1. Stress 2. Length 3. Pitch (tone and intonation)

PREsent vs presENT is an example of what type of suprasegmental?

Stress

What are two examples of languages that use tone as a part of meaning?

Mandarin and Thai

What three things can a falling intonation represent in English?

1. A neutral statement 2. A WH-question 3. A demand

What three things can a rising intonation represent in English?

1. A tentative statement 2. A yes-no question 3. A request

What part of auditory phonetics is revealed through the frequency (acoustic potency)?

Pitch

Define pitch

How high or low we percieve a sound

What part of auditory phonetics is revealed through the intensity (acoustic potency)?

Loudness

Define intensity

How perceptible at endpoint the loudness of a sound is

What part of auditory phonetics is revealed through duration (acoustic potency)?

Speech tempo

Define speech tempo

How fast or slow we recieve a sound signal

What acoustic potency do Hz represent?

Frequency

What acoustic potency do dB represent?

Intensity

What acoustic potency does t represent?

Duration

What does Hz stand for?

Hertz

What does dB stand for?

Decibels

What does t stand for?

Time

What are the 9 (yes nine) things that sound passes through in the human anatomy before being recieved by the brain?

1. auditory canal 2. eardrum 3. hammer 4. anvil 5. stirrup 6. oval window 7. cochlea 8. auditory nerve 9. brain

Acoustic Phonetics Flashcards

(73 cards)