Lecture 1 Phonetics as a Linguistic Science Plan

4. Branches of Phonetics

Besides the three branches given above there are other branches of phonetics: special, general, historical, descriptive, comparative, applied.

Special phonetics is concerned with the study of the phonetics system of a concrete language. When the phonetic system is studied in its static form, at a particular period (synchronically, we speak about descriptive phonetics. When the system is studied in its historical development (diachronically) we speak about historical, or evolutionary phonetics. Historical phonetics uses the philological method of investigation. It studies written documents and compares the spelling and pronunciation of one and the same word in different periods of the history of the language.

Generally phonetics is concerned with the study of man’s sound-producing possibilities and the functioning of his speech mechanism. It finds out what types of speech sounds exist in various languages. How they are produced and what role they play when forming and expressing thoughts. General phonetics is based on the 13

extensive material which is provided by the special phonetics of a great number of languages and on the material of other sciences. As a result of this, general phonetics has been able to make a number of general conclusions concerning the complex nature of speech sounds and to formulate a number of theories: the phoneme theory, the theory of syllable formation, theories of stress, intonation, etc.

Comparative phonetic is concerned with the comparative study of the phonetic systems of two or more languages, especially kindred ones.

By practical, or applied phonetics we mean all the practical applications of phonetics. Phonetics is of considerable importance for other fields of language study, which have made use of the structural approach and those linguistic methods worked out by phonetics.

Phonetics is applied in the teaching of diction; in correcting speech defects (pathological phenomena and aphasia); in teaching children to read and write their mother tongue and in teaching foreign languages ; in the teaching of deaf-mutes; for creating orthographies for unwritten languages.

Phonetics is used in the field of sound transmission: in telephony, broadcasting, etc. Sound engineers have to solve the same problems that occupy the minds of phoneticians.

Close interaction and collaboration between phonetics and other sciences has given birth to new branches of phonetics (technical phonetics, psycho phonetics, etc.)

5. Methods of Phonetic Investigation

The methods of investigation used in phonetics vary, but there are three principal methods: (1) the direct observation method; (2) the linguistic method; (3) the experimental method.

1 The direct observation method comprises three important modes of phonetic analysis: by ear, by sight and by muscular sensation. Investigation by means of this method can be effective only if the persons employing it have been specially trained to observe the minutest movements of their own and other people’s speech organs, and to distinguish the slightest variations in sound quality. Every phonetician undergoes a special training, in the course of which his “phonetic ear”, and also his muscular sensation, are developed. By a “phonetic ear” is meant the capability to distinguish the exact quality of sounds pronounced in various sound sequences or in isolation, whether in one’s mother tongue or in a foreign language.

The muscular sensation is developed by constant and regular practice in articulating various sounds. A trained phonetician should be able to pronounce sounds of a given quality (e.g. an open back unrounded vowel, a trilled r, a fronted k, etc.), as well as to recognize, by means of his highly developed muscular sensation the exact nature of the articulation of any speech sound that he hears.

2. The aim of the linguistic method of investigation of any concrete phonetic phenomena, such as sound, stress, intonation or any other feature, is to determine in what way all of these phonetic features are used in a language to convey a certain meaning. An accurate phonetic analysis (made either by ear or by means of some instruments or apparatus) is of no use whatever unless it serves as a clue that will help to interpret the linguistic function of a phonetic phenomenon.

The linguistic method utilizes linguistic analysis in observing the actual facts of language and interpreting their social significance. It likewise makes use of linguistic experiment to determine, with the help of native informants, the functioning power of some concrete phonetic feature in a language or in a specific dialect which is being subjected to investigation.

The linguistic method, therefore, is of paramount importance.

3. The experimental method is based, as a rule, upon the use of special apparatus or instruments, such as the laryngoscope, the artificial palate, the kymograph, the magnetic tape recorder, the oscillograph, the intonograph.

Special laboratory equipment, such as kymograph, spectrograph, oscillograph and intonograph help to obtain the necessary data about prosodic properties of speech sounds.

A kymograph records qualitative variations of sounds in the form of kymographic tracings.

A spectrograph produces sound spectrograms which help to list the frequencies of a given sound and its relative amplitudes.

An oscillograph records oscillograms of sound vibrations of any frequency. Automatically recorded oscillograms can be observed upon the screen.

An intonograph measures automatically: 1) the fundamental tone of the vocal cords, 2) the average sound pressure, 3) the duration or length of speech (pausation). The results are recorded: 1) visually upon the screen of the electron-ray tube, 2) on paper or film with the continuous reproduction by tape recorder, 3) in digits (while estimating the limits of the recorded area along the screen of the electron-ray tube).

6. Significance of Phonetics

Theoretical significance of phonetics is connected with the further development of the problem of the synchronic study and description of the phonetic system of a national language, the comparative analysis and description of different languages, the study of the correspondences between them, the diachronic description of successive changes in the phonetic system of a language or different languages.

Practical significance of phonetics is connected with teaching foreign languages. Practical phonetics is applied in methods of speech correction, teaching deaf-mutes, film dubbing, transliteration, radio and television.