Phonetics

What is the difference between speech sounds and non-speech sounds?

      See Wikopedia entry on whistled language

What sounds do humans use to communicate?

      Check out the IPA web site

      The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive contains recordings of the world’s languages

      See the Index of Sounds for examples

      Also see the resources for studying spoken English

      Download the Praat program for acoustic analysis 

Is the relation between the sounds and meaning in words completely arbitrary?

How do humans articulate speech sounds? (The human vocal tract)

What is the connection between the features of speech sounds and their articulation?

What is the role of the larynx in sound production?

      See vocal folds in action

Why do speech sounds fall into natural classes?

Is it possible to produce a word with two or more consonants in a row?

Do Americans really speak English?

Why don’t more computers understand speech?

This week’s lecture notes

Assignment: Chapter Two, exs. 9 and 19 (transcribe)

Due: February 21