HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY E-LEARNING CENTRE MID-TERM TEST ON PHONETICS & PHONOLOGY Test No: BÀI GIẢI KIỂM TRA BÀI TỰ LUẬN Question 1: What is a phoneme? How are phonemes classified? Give examples to illustrate your answer Question 2: What is a consonant? How are consonants classified? Give examples to illustrate your answer N.B:* -The answers can be typed or written by hand, then changed into PDF form (HANDWRITING IS PLUS) -Only answers in PDF form are accepted -The assignment which is copied or identical to others will be given mark Question 1: What is a phoneme? How are phonemes classified? Give examples to illustrate your answer A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish one word from another It is a fundamental concept in phonetics and phonology, which are branches of linguistics that study speech sounds and their patterns Phonemes are classified based on several criteria, primarily their articulatory, acoustic, and functional properties The two main classifications of phonemes are: Consonants: Consonants are speech sounds produced by obstructing or restricting the airflow in the vocal tract They are further classified based on their place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing - Place of articulation: Refers to where the airflow is obstructed in the vocal tract Examples include /p/ (bilabial), /t/ (alveolar), and /k/ (velar) - Manner of articulation: Refers to how the airflow is obstructed or restricted Examples include /b/ (stop), /s/ (fricative), and /m/ (nasal) - Voicing: Refers to whether the vocal cords are vibrating during the production of the sound Examples include /b/ (voiced) and /p/ (voiceless) Vowels: Vowels are speech sounds produced without any significant constriction in the vocal tract They are classified based on their tongue position and lip rounding - Tongue position: Refers to the height and front-back placement of the tongue in the mouth Examples include /i/ (high front), /ɑ/ (low back), and /e/ (mid front) - Lip rounding: Refers to the shape of the lips during the production of the vowel Examples include /u/ (rounded) and / i/ (unrounded) For example: - In English, the words "pat" and "bat" differ only in their initial phoneme: /p/ and /b/, respectively The phoneme /p/ is voiceless and bilabial, while /b/ is voiced and bilabial - In Mandarin Chinese, the words "ma" (妈) and "ba" (爸) differ in their initial phonemes: /m/ and /b/, respectively The phoneme /m/ is voiced, bilabial, and nasal, while /b/ is voiced, bilabial, and stop These examples demonstrate how phonemes play a crucial role in distinguishing words in a language and how they can be classified based on their articulatory features Question 2: What is a consonant? How are consonants classified? Give examples to illustrate your answer A consonant is a speech sound produced by obstructing or restricting the airflow in the vocal tract Unlike vowels, which are produced with a relatively open vocal tract, consonants involve some degree of constriction or closure, causing turbulence or friction in the airflow Consonants are classified based on three main articulatory features: Place of Articulation: This refers to the location in the vocal tract where the airflow is obstructed or constricted Examples: - Bilabial: Constriction occurs at the lips (e.g., /p/, /b/, /m/) - Alveolar: Constriction occurs at the alveolar ridge, just behind the upper front teeth (e.g., /t/, /d/, /n/) - Velar: Constriction occurs at the soft palate or velum (e.g., /k/, /g/, /ŋ/) Manner of Articulation: This refers to how the airflow is obstructed or constricted Examples: - Stops: Complete closure of the vocal tract, then sudden release (e.g., /p/, /t/, /k/) - Fricatives: Narrow constriction causing turbulent airflow (e.g., /f/, /s/, /ʃ/) - Nasals: Complete closure of the oral cavity, allowing airflow through the nose (e.g., /m/, /n/, /ŋ/) - Affricates: Brief stop closure followed by a fricative release (e.g., /tʃ/ as in "ch" in "chat") Voicing: This refers to whether the vocal cords are vibrating during the production of the sound Examples: - Voiced: The vocal cords vibrate during the production of the sound (e.g., /b/, /d/, /z/) - Voiceless: The vocal cords not vibrate during the production of the sound (e.g., /p/, /t/, /s/) Examples: Bilabial Stop: - /p/ as in "pat" (voiceless bilabial stop) - /b/ as in "bat" (voiced bilabial stop) Alveolar Fricative: - /s/ as in "sit" (voiceless alveolar fricative) - /z/ as in "zip" (voiced alveolar fricative) Velar Nasal: - /ŋ/ as in "sing" (voiced velar nasal) Alveopalatal Affricate: - /tʃ/ as in "chat" (voiceless alveopalatal affricate) These examples illustrate how consonants are produced and classified based on their place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing Understanding these articulatory features helps us differentiate and produce the various consonant sounds in language