Vocab

Question 1

Allophone

Answer 1

slight variations in the pronunciation of the same sound (phoneme); e.g., [e]/[eI]

Question 2

Alveolar Ridge

Answer 2

also called the gum ridge or teeth ridge, it is the part of the roof of the mouth that lies just above the upper front teeth

Question 3

Articulators

Answer 3

the parts of the body used to form speech sounds. The articulators that move are the lips, lower jaw, tongue, and soft palate (also known as velum). The articulators that do not move are the teeth, gum ridge (alveolar ridge or teeth ridge), hard palate, and the glottis

Question 4

Consonant

Answer 4

a sound made with the expulsion of air. The breath is either stopped, impeded, or interrupted by the articulators

Question 5

Cognate or Cognate Pairs

Answer 5

pairs of consonants that are made in the same position and place of the articulators. One of the consonants of the pair is voiced, the other is unvoiced

Question 6

Diacritical Mark

Answer 6

a symbol that can be added to a letter to indicate a special pronunciation, or to indicate stress. In this class, diacritical marks are used to show syllabic stress

Question 7

Diphthong

Answer 7

two pure vowels with acoustic result being perceived as a single distinguishable unit

Question 8

Glottal/ Glottal stop

Answer 8

initiation of a vowel (onset or attack) wherein the breath is held back by the vocal folds. Very gentle glottal onsets may be used for the stress of a word or clarity (“breath lift” is probably better wording)

Question 9

Glottis

Answer 9

the space found inside the larynx between the vocal folds

Question 10

Monophthong

Answer 10

a vowel that has a single perceived auditory quality, a sound that is sustained without movement of the articulators; also known as a pure vowel

Question 11

Open/closed vowels

Answer 11

an open vowel has a low tongue arch (the inside of the mouth feels slightly more “open”); a closed vowel has a higher tongue arch (the inside of the mouth feels slightly more “closed”)

Question 12

Phoneme

Answer 12

a single language sound represented by a single symbol; e. g., [b]

Question 13

Unvoiced/Voiced consonants

Answer 13

When a consonant is “voiced” it is produced with vocal fold vibration. When it is “unvoiced” it is produced without vocal fold vibration. To determine if a consonant is voiced, place hand on throat and speak the consonant—if you feel vibration, the consonant is voiced and has pitch.

Question 14

Schwa

Answer 14

an unstressed vowel sound, also referred to as the “neutral vowel”

Question 15

Triphthong

Answer 15

a union of three vowels, pronounced rapidly and without interruption

Question 16

Vowel

Answer 16

speech sounds which are produced without any major interruption of the air flow through the vocal tract