Understanding Language Sounds with IPA

HowtoUnderstandaLanguageAbasiccourseontheframeworksofalanguagePreviouslyOn→Soundsofdifferentlanguagesaredifferent,sometimesquitefundamentally→TheInternationalPhoneticAlphabetwasintroducedandvariousbasicclassificationsseenbytheexampleofHindi→Vowelsareclassifiedbyhowopenthemouthisandalsobyifthesoundisproducedfromthefront,centralorbackpart→Consonantscanbeclassifiedbyplaceofarticulation(likeadentalconsonantrequiresthetonguetointeractwiththeteeth)andthemannerofarticulation(likeashsoundisavoicelessfricativesound).TodayOn→WewillutilisetheknowledgeofIPAgainedandapplyittoseesomesoundsofadifferentlanguage→ExamplesfromdifferentlanguagesaroundthecountryandtheworldascomparedtoHindiandEnglishWeek1:PhonologyTheStudyofSoundsLesson2:ApplyingIPAtoKnowtheSoundsofaLanguageEnglishIPA→LetusapplyourknowledgeofIPAvowelstoEnglish.→Hindihad,asyouwouldremember,11uniquevowels→Englishhas5.But,theyform12differentsounds!→TheforemostthingthatisdifferentbetweenEnglishandanyIndianlanguageisthatEnglishisNOTaphoneticlanguage.Onelettercanbeassociatedwithmultiplesounds.→Forsuchalanguage,IPAbecomesquiteimportant.EnglishIPA→Wehavelearnthowthevowelchartworks→NowwewillseetheEnglishvowelchart→Side-by-sidewewillalsokeeptheHindichartopenjusttohaveareminderofhowthevowelchartworks→WeknowtheHindisoundsandhowtheywork.→Foranunknownsound,taketheHindi’sclosestsoundandseehowthemouthopen-nessisaffectingit.MidOpenOpenCloseMidCloseFrontMidBackEnglish(British)FrontMidBackHindiːːːːːiːaːEnglishIPA→Thefirstthingthatyoumightnoticeisthatthefirsttwoboxesarethesameinboth.Those4vowelsarethesame.→Forthemiddletwoboxes,eandtheneutralschwaarethesame.→Englishhasanadded/ɜː/sound,whichisbasicallyalong/ə/sound.→Englishalsoseemstohavethe/ɔː/soundbutwiththemouthmoreclosedthanHindi.Thisisanimportantdifference.→Considerthewordthought.Trytopronouncetheauwiththemouthmid-closedratherthanmid-open.That’showitispronouncedintheUK.EnglishIPA→/ɑː/isasoundalmostatthecorner.Themouthiscompletelyopenandthesoundcomesrightfromtheback.ItisliketheHindi/aː/butwiththemouthfullyopen.Completely.FATHER|Englishmeaning-CambridgeDictionary→/ɒ/istheroundedversionof/ɑː/.Andshorter.Keepthemouthasopenasfor/ɑː/butroundit.LOT|Englishmeaning-CambridgeDictionary→/ʌ/islikethe/ə/butwiththemouthmoreopen.SomewherebetweentheHindiअ/ə/andआ/aː/.STRUT|Englishmeaning-CambridgeDictionary→The/æ/soundisliketheHindiऐ/ɛː/butwiththemouthmoreopen.CAMEL|Englishmeaning-CambridgeDictionaryEnglishIPA→Englishalsohasvowelcombinationsthatflowintoeachother.→The12vowelsoundswelearntjustnowarecalledasmonophthongs.→Theyarecombinedinsomewaystoproducediphthongs.→BritishEnglishhas7diphthongs/eɪ//aɪ//ɔɪ//aʊ//əʊ//ɪə//ʊə/→AndBritishalsohas5triphthongs,yesyouguesseditright,3soundstogether/eɪə//aɪə//ɔɪə//aʊə//əʊə/