1. Introduction to Phonetics:
● Phonetics is the study of speech sounds.
● It tells us how we produce sounds, how sounds travel, and how we hear or
understand sounds.
● It is very important in speech-language pathology, linguistics, and language learning.
2. Main Branches of Phonetics:
Phonetics has three main branches. Each branch studies a different part of the speech
process:
🔸 A. Articulatory Phonetics – (Production of Sounds)
● This branch studies how we make sounds using parts of our mouth and throat.
● These parts are called speech organs, like:
○ Lips, tongue, teeth, vocal cords, nose, palate (roof of the mouth), etc.
● It explains:
○ Where the sound is produced in the mouth (place of articulation)
○ How the sound is produced (manner of articulation)
○ Whether the vocal cords vibrate or not (voicing)
Example:
● The sound /t/ (as in "top") is made by touching the tongue to the upper part of the mouth.
● /b/ is a voiced sound made using both lips.
🔸 B. Acoustic Phonetics – (Study of Sound Waves)
● This branch looks at the physical nature of sounds – like how they look on a graph.
● Phonetics is the study of speech sounds.
● It tells us how we produce sounds, how sounds travel, and how we hear or
understand sounds.
● It is very important in speech-language pathology, linguistics, and language learning.
2. Main Branches of Phonetics:
Phonetics has three main branches. Each branch studies a different part of the speech
process:
🔸 A. Articulatory Phonetics – (Production of Sounds)
● This branch studies how we make sounds using parts of our mouth and throat.
● These parts are called speech organs, like:
○ Lips, tongue, teeth, vocal cords, nose, palate (roof of the mouth), etc.
● It explains:
○ Where the sound is produced in the mouth (place of articulation)
○ How the sound is produced (manner of articulation)
○ Whether the vocal cords vibrate or not (voicing)
Example:
● The sound /t/ (as in "top") is made by touching the tongue to the upper part of the mouth.
● /b/ is a voiced sound made using both lips.
🔸 B. Acoustic Phonetics – (Study of Sound Waves)
● This branch looks at the physical nature of sounds – like how they look on a graph.
