### The correct pronunciation of 'gif' (the image format) is... a) /d͡ʒɪf/ b) /gɪf/ c) /jɪf/ d) /d͡ʒi aj ɛf/ e) /d͡ʒejpɛg/ --- ### The correct pronunciation of 'gif' (the image format) is... a)
/d͡ʒɪf/
b) /gɪf/ c) /jɪf/ d) /d͡ʒi aj ɛf/ e) /d͡ʒejpɛg/ ---
--- # Phonetics: The Sounds of Language (are awesome) ### Will Styler - LIGN 101 --- ### Today's Plan - Understanding vowels - More on IPA Transcription - Why are we learning some IPA, anyways? - Some phonetic phun --- ## Vowels! --- ### Vowels are created by shaping your vocal tract * A vowel is voicing passing through (and resonating in) an unobstructed vocal tract! * If we change the position of the tongue, we change the resonances ---
--- ### Vowels are different from consonants - They're always* voiced - They can (and do) occur on their own. I. - We describe vowels using different characteristics --- ### How many vowels are present in Mainstream US English? A) 5 B) 5, sometimes 6 C) 12 D) 17 E) 21
--- ### How many vowels are present in Mainstream US English? A) 5 B) 5, sometimes 6 C) 12 D)
17
E) 21 --- ### Reminder, your writing system is as trustworthy as a politician turned used-car-salesman ---
---
---
---
---
---
---
---
--- ### / i, ɪ, ɛ, æ, ə, əɹ, ʌ, ɑ, ɔ, ʊ, u / - beet - bit - bet - bat - sof**a** - bird - but - bot - bought - book - boot --- /i/ - beet, see, seen, sear, seal /ɪ/ - bit, sit, tin, sill /ɛ/ - bet, set, sent, fair, sell /æ/ - bat, sat, pant, pal /ʌ/ - but, sun, pun, lull (ə in sofa, amount) /əɹ/ - bird, purr, earl, butter, clamor (this is often broken into two vowels!) /ɑ/ - bot, saw, star, paul, pawn, (cot*) /ɔ/ - corn /kɔɹn/, boy /bɔj/ (caught*) /ʊ/ - book, hood, puss /u/ - boot, who’d, loose, lure, loon --- ### Do you produce 'Cot' and 'Caught' differently? A) Yes, they're two different vowels B) No, they're the same vowel
--- ### A note on /ɔ/ vs. /ɑ/ - These are two vowels for some people - Cot (/ɑ/) vs. caught (/ɔ/) - For many speakers, these have merged in all but a few cases - I am one of these speakers - Even for me, “horse” and “corn” still have /ɔ/. (/hɔɹs/ and /kɔɹn/) - Also, “boy” /bɔj/ --- ### What's the difference between /ʌ/ and /ə/? - They sound the same, but we use /ə/ in *unstressed* positions in words - If there's just one vowel in the word, and it sounds like 'uh', it's /ʌ/ - This is the same difference between /ɜ˞/ and /əɹ/ (although for this class, you can write /əɹ/ for both) - More details [at this link](http://wstyler.ucsd.edu/posts/difference_schwa_wedge.html) --- ### Describing Vowels - For vowels, we talk about three additional dimensions - 1- Where is the tongue in terms of height? - (High, Low, or Mid) - Also "Closed, Open, or Mid" - 2- Where is the tongue in terms of horizontal space? - (Front, Central, or Back) - 3- Are your lips rounded or not? ---
--- ### The IPA Vowel Chart
---
---
--- ### Diphthongs - Vowels where the tongue moves through the mouth - Start at one vowel, move to another vowel - Things like “boy” (/ɔj/), “buy” (/aj/), “bay” (/ej/), “boat” (/ow/), “cow” (/aw/) - Others are monophthongs --- ### MUSE Diphthongs /ɔj/ - boy, soy, toy, join, oil, Roy /aj/ - buy, right, try, sigh, die, fire /ej/ - play, bay, may, ray, lay, trail /ow/ - boat, oat, wrote, pope, toll /aw/ - how, now, brown, cow, prow, louse --- ### So, Mainstream US English has lots of vowels - 12 Monophthongs - / i, ɪ, ɛ, æ, ə, əɹ, ʌ, ɑ, ɔ, ʊ, u / - 5 Diphthongs - /ɔj, aj, ej, ow, aw/ - And we describe these vowels in terms of high-to-low, front-to-back, and rounded or not. --- ### Now that we understand how speech sounds are produced... - We can identify the proper symbols in the IPA - We can start to transcribe speech using the IPA --- ### Online Audio IPA Charts are a useful resource -
- We also have videos at
- **Make sure the sounds you're using are on your quick reference sheet!** - As is memorizing some words for each symbol and then process-of-eliminating - "Hmm, it's not the vowel in 'snack' or 'but' or 'boat', but it does " --- ### Discussion Sections this week are all about transcription! --- ## A few more transcription pitfalls ---
--- ### Lies your writing system tells you - The letter “C” - “ng” is usually /ŋ/, as in “ring” /ɹɪŋ/ - “th” can be /θ/ or /ð/ - “x” is usually /ks/, as in axis /æksɪs/ - English does not allow double ('geminate') consonants - “soccer” is /sɑkəɹ/, crass is /kɹæs/ --- ### Do not capitalize when making IPA transcriptions! - Capital and small-caps letters in the IPA mean different things! --- ### More lies Sliced - /slaɪst/ - Buzzed - /bʌzd/ - Close (near) - /klows/ - Close (a door) - /klowz/ --- ### Silent letters aren't real - “k” in “knee” - “b” in “lamb" - “e” in name, I will cry. --- ### English writing is often ambiguous
(Image Credit: [XKCD 2819](https://xkcd.com/2819/)) ---
--- ### Sometimes, consonants take over - Words like 'cotton' or 'people' or 'bull' can have a final consonant which feels 'alone' - There doesn't seem to be a vowel there - We refer to these as 'syllabic consonants' - You can use /ən əl/ to represent that, or the IPA 'syllabic' diacritic (l̩ or n̩) - So 'cotton people bull' = /kɑʔən pipəl bəl/ or /kɑʔn̩ pipl̩ bl̩/ - Note that for many, 'bull' is still /bʊl/ --- ### You'll want to use the tie bar for affricates - It's good habit to write /t͡ʃ/ and /d͡ʒ/ with the tie bar when they're affricates - Rather than a sequence of two different sounds (e.g. "hotshot /hɑtʃɑt/") - It's less critical for English, but it's good practice --- ### There is no I in team
--- ### Words don't have one IPA 'equivalent' - You're always transcribing somebody else saying them - There is no such thing as an automatic IPA “translator”, and there never could be - ChatGPT is mid at this too - Some dictionaries give you IPA, but badly - ... and we can totally tell if you used that --- ### Some symbols don't mean what they do in English - /y/ : High front rounded vowel - /j/: Voiced palatal approximant (as in 'Yes') - /r/: Voiced alveolar trill (the Spanish 'rolled R') - /ɹ/: English 'r' sound (as in 'red') --- ... by this point, you're likely wondering... - ### Why the heck are we learning about the IPA!?! --- ### The boring answers - It makes you think about how you talk *and* what you're saying - It prepares you for future linguistics classes which will use it - You can work for an airport announcing names! --- ### 1) Because your writing system probably sucks - “They thoroughly and roughly wrought the boughs in the borough, through and through” - /ðej θəɹəli n̩ ɹʌfli ɹɑt ðə bɑwz ɪn ðə bəɹow θɹu n̩ θɹu/ --- ### 2) Because it’s useful to be able to write things down, even when you don’t know the word(s) - (/r:!ʛma/) --- ### 3) Because you don’t always have a writing system to use. - Seriously, many languages don't have one --- ### 4) To train your brain to hear differences more easily - /θ/ or /ð/ --- ### 5) To capture individual variations in speech - Is it “sick”, or /ɬɪk/? --- ### 6) To capture dialect differences in speech --- ### RP (British English) vs. Mainstream US English - /əˈlumɪnəm/ vs. /aljuˈmɪnium/ - /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/ vs. /ˈɡɛɹɑʒ/ ---
--- - "Sell your iron to Walter Zion" - /sɛl jəɹ ajəɹn tə wɑltəɹ zajən/ - /sɛl jə ajən tə wɑltə zajən/ --- ### Oh, Boston - park the car in harvard yard - /pɑɹk ðə kɑɹ ɪn hɑɹvəɹd jɑɹd/ - /pɑ:k ðə kɑ: ɪn hɑvəd jɑ:d/ --- ### 7) To impress/scare people at parties/bars --- ### 8) To write down things that aren't otherwise writeable --- ### Transcriber's Delight - “I said a hip, hop, the hibbie, the hibbie to the hip hip hop and you don’t stop the rocking to the bang bang boogie say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie the beat” - [ɑsɛdə hɪp hɑp ðəhɪbi ðe hɪbi təðə hɪp hɪp hɑpʰɑjɨ down stɑp ðə ɹɑkɪn tʰəðə bejŋ bejŋ bʊɡi seɪ ʔʌp d͡ʒʌmp ðə bʊɡi tʰəðə ɹɪðm ʌ ðʌ bʊɡidə bit]
--- ### Would you like fries with this example? - [a.sɛ.ɾa.he.ha.hə.he.ehɛ.βe.tu.ða.hɛ.ðe.ðe.se.vi.ju.no. ma.ma.ha.vi.æn.ðə.bu.ɣi.æn.ðə.bʷi.li.li.bi] - From 'The Ketchup Song' by Las Ketchup
--- ### A Disturbeding Example - [owaʔaʔaʔaʔ] - From Disturbed's 'Down with the Sickness'
--- ### "Scatman" by Scatman John
---
- /br:::: skibiri d̪õm d̪õm d̪õbijɛsʲɛs skibiri d̪abl̩d̪m ni ni/ [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzD9OxAHtzU) --- ### (If you don't know what that was, ask your younger relatives) --- ### So, that's why you're learning the IPA - ... and that's everything you need to know to complete the homework and test --- ### There's one misconception I want to address --- ## "People in Africa speak only with clicks" ---
--- ### Clicks in Africa * Clicks are used extensively in Khoisan languages * (spoken by ~400,000 people) * They've also been borrowed into Zulu and Xhosa, both Bantu languages (within Niger-congo) * (~17.6 million speakers) * This means that only ~1% of Africans speak a language where there are clicks * All of these languages have lots of non-click sounds! ---
San
Khoisan - Namibia
[Original Source: 'Khoisan Click Language' by Xurxo Mariño](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6WO5XabD-s) ---
--- ## "I could never do that!" * Yes, you can. --- # Anybody can pronounce any language! --- ### Speech organs are universal * There is not a meaningful difference between your vocal tract and a San speaker's - [Small differences may exist](https://doi.org/10.1093/jole/lzx004), but the effect size is small * The only meaningful difference between humans is practice! * It's easier if you learn the language at a younger age * There are no sounds English speakers "just can't produce", *with practice*. --- ### IPA Conclusion - The IPA is a great resource - Do the interactive tutorial for HW1 to learn more about how it works - Remember, you're writing down *what was actually said*, and your writing system doesn't help with that! --- ### It's always hard to figure out what to include in a LIGN 101 - Today, I have abandoned good sense and tradition in favor of my own burning passions - ***"Screw it, I'm talking about speech perception!"*** --- # Speech Perception is impossibly hard --- Speech is flapping bits of meat around in your head and throat while you expel air. * **Speech perception is turning the resulting vibrations in the air back into language** --- ### So, what do these vibrations look like? ---
--- ### How do humans pick them up? ---
--- ### Then what? ---
--- ### Then what? ---
--- ### "Oh, he's talking about that thing up there!"
--- "Wait. You can't do that. You skipped a step. Go back." * **That step takes years of grad school to understand how little we understand.** --- ## We're going to ignore the "how" and focus on the "wow!" --- ## Let's do some speech perception magic tricks! --- ## Trick #1: Gradient Perception * When we're familiar with the categories in a language, that affects our perception strongly --- ### Date vs. Debt --- # Date
--- # Debt
--- ## ?
--- ## ??
--- ## ???
--- ### Let's do an experiment! --- ## ????
--- ### Gradient Perception * We use our knowledge of the categories to make strong decisions about which sounds are which * ... but they're not always the same decisions as your neighbors! --- ### Trick #2: Coda Recovery ---
bad
ban
---
bomb
bob
---
bob
bomb
---
duck
dunk
---
bob
bomb
---
--- **We pay attention to tiny details!** ---
bend
/bɛnd/
* **...but there's more to it than the symbols show us!** --- ### Coarticulation When we start preparing for the next sound *before it even begins* * In the word "bend", we start nasal airflow before the nasal /n/, *during the vowel* ---
bend
/bɛnd/
/bɛ̃nd/
--- ### You use coarticulation to hear missing sounds!
---
--- ### How we hear nasality was the topic of [my doctoral dissertation](http://wstyler.ucsd.edu/files/styler_dissertation_final.pdf) * Yes, that's a clickable link to a PDF * No, nobody's going to click it. ---
--- Speaking of recovering huge amounts of information... --- ### Trick #3: Fun with Sine Waves --- ### Let's listen to some sounds
--- ### Let's listen to some sounds
### Now let's play all three at once!
--- ### Let's listen to some sounds
### Now let's play all three at once!
### Does this help?
---
--- This is called "Sine wave speech", and it's *really* awesome. --- ### Trick #4: Multi-modal perception --- ### The McGurk Effect (Part 1)
--- ### The McGurk Effect (Part 2)
--- ### They're the same video! -
😇
--- ### Spoken Language is multi-modal! - The distinction between visual and auditory modalities isn't as cut and dry as many think --- ### Trick #5: Hearing Tongues --- ### We may be hearing tongues - We may be taking acoustics and processing it to build a model of the world - Then using that model to understand what's happening in the other person's head - Which then tells you the phones being produced - ... and lets you reconstruct words --- ### If speech perception is gestural, then so is gesture perception - ... and signed language perception is not so different! --- ### Trick #6: The Novel Speaker ---
[(Source)](http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_language.php?function=detail&speakerid=1771) --- ### This is a woman you've never met, and will likely never meet * She's 28 years old from Monrovia, Liberia * She also speaks Liberian Pidgin English * You've never seen her face, never conducted a conversation * ... **and you still understood her.** --- ### I mean, seriously... * You've probably never heard anybody with a Liberian Pidgin English accent * You've probably never even heard anybody from Liberia * You had no way of seeing her to judge how large or small her vocal tract was * You couldn't rely on gestures or facial movements to help fill in blanks. * You had no context to know which words she would or wouldn't say * *This is a worst-case scenario for speech perception* * **... but you all didn't care!** --- ### We don't seem to care that... * Every person sounds different * Sometimes due to language background or social status * Sometimes due to differences in anatomy * My vowel in "bet" might be acoustically the same as yours in "bit" * No two productions of the same word by the same person are identical * ... and in fact... --- ### You are your own unique little acoustical snowflake
--- And yet, nobody gives a damn. * **We just talk, and it works** ---
--- ### How we adjust to different speakers was the topic of my MA Thesis * (Nope, not making that one publicly available. 🗑🔥) --- "OK. Making speech is impossibly hard, and understanding speech is impossibly hard." * **"... but... uh... we're doing it right now."** --- ## OK, OK. You got me. --- # Speech is impossibly hard, but we do it anyways --- ... but that's only because we're *really* awesome. --- ### Signed language phonetics is just as amazing! - Different modality, but similar sets of problems! --- ### Producing and understanding words is the most complicated thing you will *ever* do * ... and you don't even think twice about it. --- # Understanding Language is Magic --- ### ... and you're all wizards
--- ### Take LIGN 110 and then 112 to learn more!
--- ### Trick #5: Tone Languages --- ## Tone Changes in pitch during the word change the meaning of the word --- ### Level Tone "High" vs. "Low" (sometimes "mid" or "rising/falling") ---
Zarma (Djerma)
Nilo-Saharan:Songhay - Niger
Yesterday - "bi" Wound - "bi"
--- ### **Which has the high tone?** A - "Yesterday" B - "Wound"
--- ### Contour Tones Pitch patterns change meaning ---
Mandarin Chinese
Sino-Tibetan - China
# 妈 麻 马 骂 吗 ['mother bother horse scold QUESTION'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orx53ieqEI4) ---
Thank you!