TOPICS IN LANGUAGE STUDIES

1
TOPICS IN LANGUAGE STUDIES
Classification of Speech Sounds
VOWELS
2
Project Summary
The present project deals with the use of
Microsoft Power Point Software for Language
Teaching and Learning at university / college
levels employing Multi-media . The concept of
speech sounds and their use in classification of
vowels is introduced .
3
Educational Project
Prepared by
N .G . Devaki , Department of Hindi ,C US A
T ngdevaki_at_cusat.ac.in
4
Level of the course
Graduate / Post Graduate
Prerequisite
Knowledge of Hindi / M alayalam Alphabets
5
TASKS
Write down your ideas on

• What is language?
• Why do we need language?
• Do animals use language?
• If yes, how does human language
• differ from animals language?

6
TWO FORMS OF LANGUAGE
Written
Spoken
S C R I P T
Sound
7
Some more questions

• Are there languages which depend
• neither on sound nor scripts?

• Compare between spoken and
• written forms of language.

8
Let us discuss the Science and Technology of
language
Or
What is commonly known as Linguistics
Specifically, we are going to classify the Speech
Sounds which forms a part of Phonetics
Phonetics is an important branch of Linguistics.
9
There are many directions in language studies
Study of language is important

• In understanding the phenomenon of 1anguage

• In speech processing

• In AI

• In speech identification by machines as
• security procedure

• In the development of machine based speech
  synthesizer
• to help those who can not speak. Classic example
  is
• that of Prof Stephen William Hawking.

10
A LANGUAGE - MODEL
IDEA
IDEA
Not possible
Decoding by language
Encoding by language
Sound reception - speech hearing
Sound production Speech
Sound transmission
11
New Technology has extended the range of speech
transmission.

• Face to face communication -- few metres

• Use of microphone and loud speaker-- several
  metres

• Telephone without satellite link -- several
  kilometres

• Satellite communication -- global

Basically, communication system consists of
devices to produce and receive sound

• Nature has blessed us by providing organs to
  produce
• and receive sound

12
Sound propagates through the medium as waves

• Therefore sound transmission is not possible
  through vacuum

Now answer this If sound can not propagate
through vacuum, how is satellite communication
possible?
We are familiar with words NOISE and SOUND ? Are
they same? If not, how do they differ? Write two
examples.
In technical jargon, sound waves are called
acoustic waves.
13
How is sound produced?

• Vibrating objects produce pressure waves in the
  medium.

• If vibrator vibrates more than 20 times or less
  than 20000
• times in one second, it produces pressure waves
  which will
• be responded by human ear. Such pressure waves
  are called
• sound waves or acoustic waves.

• Number of vibrations in one second is called
  frequency of vibration
• and that of the wave generated in the medium .If
  the vibrator
• vibrates once in one second, frequency of the
  wave generated is
• said to be one Hertz or 1Hz.

Thus, frequency of sound waves lies between 20
and 2000Hz or 20 Hz and 20KHz (kiloHz)
14

• Quality of sound can be controlled if the
  vibrator is
• attached to a hollow tube called resonator.

• Quality of sound depends on the frequency of
  vibrating
• membrane, length and volume of the resonator

• Varying sound quality from flute is by changing
  the column
• length by closing/opening the small hoe using
  fingers.

Sitar - limiting the length of vibrating string
Drums- controlling the vibration of the membrane
15
HUMAN SOUNDS
Vibrator - Vocal folds
Resonating column - Vocal tract
Volume and length of the vocal tract is
controlled by movements of the tongue ,oral
cavity and lips.
16
Structure of Oral Cavity
lips
teeth
Alveolar (teeth) ridge
Hard palate
Soft palate
tonsil
uvula
1
2
Middle line of the tongue
Parts of the tongue
1- back,2- central , 3-Front and 4- tip regions
17
Vocal Tract
Teeth
tongue
Food pipe
Wind pipe
Glottis
Adams apple
18
Generation of Speech Sounds

• Vocal tract converts lung - air into audible
  vibrations.

• Vibrations are produced in the lower part of the
  tract
• called larynx .

• Larynx contains a vibrating membrane called vocal
  folds.

• Opening between vocal folds called Glottis
  controls the
• airflow into the vocal tract .

• Vibration frequency of vocal folds is more in
  women
• than in men .

19
ARTICULATION

• Production of different speech sounds by the
  action of
• mobile and immobile parts of vocal tract is
  known as
• articulation .

• Classification of speech sounds with reference
  to their
• production , transmission through vocal cords is
  known as
• ARTICULATORY PHONETICS .

20
VOWELS and CONSONANTS

• Vowels are sounds in which air escapes through
  the Vocal
• Tract without any obstructions .

• Consonants are sounds produced by obstructing
  the
• Vocal Tract at various positions .

We are going to study Vowels in detail .
21
CLASSIFICATION OF VOWELS

• Vowels are classified using four criteria .

1 . The raised part of the tongue - front ,
centre or back .
2 . The height of the raised tongue - high,
mid-high, mid-low, low .
3 . The shape of the lips opening -
rounded or unrounded .
22

• Alphabets in Indian languages are well separated
• in to two blocks of vowels and consonents,unlike
  in
• the case of that in English where vowels and
  consonants
• are written in one block.

• We can also see that in Indian languages,
  alphabets are
• arranged regularly based on their place of
  origin in
• the vocal tract.

• Check by pronouncing the alphabets

23
Wave form of the word ALA
The wave has more than one frequency.
24
a
Classification of Vowels
i
u
o
25
The classification of vowels can be represented
as in the form of a triangle called The Cardinal
Vowel Triangle
There are some languages which do not have
alphabets. Fundamental unit of such languages are
words represented graphically ( Pictographs).
Kung - work
Hung quicksilver
Eg. Chinese
26
Conclusion
We had a brief introduction on

• an important branch of linguistics called
  Phonetics.
• Classification of vowels based on articulation.

27
Thank you very much