Theory of phonetics

Lecture III. Phonemes and speech sounds.
Key words:

1. acoustic effect [q'kHstIk I'fekt] - акус- тический (звуковой) эффект 2. to utter ['Atq] - произнести 3. substitute ['sAbstItjHt] – заменять, за- мещать 4. distinguish [dIs'tINgwIS] – различать, распознавать 5. characteristic features ["kxrqktq 'rIstIk 'fJCqz] – характерные черты, особенности 6. determine [dI'tWmIn] – определять, устанавливать 7. devoice [dI'vOIs] – оглушать (соглас- ные звуки)

8. predictable [prI'dIktqbl] – предсказуе- мый 9. invariant [In'veqrIqnt] – инвариант, неизменяемый 10. concise [kqn'saIs] – 1) краткий, сжа- тый; 2) четкий, выра- зительный 11. subsidiary [sqb'sIdIqrI] – вспомога- тельный, дополнитльный, второстепенный 12. simultaneously ["sIml'teInIqslI] - од- новременно 13. obstacle ['Pbstqkl] – препятствие, помеха.

I. Speech sounds: phones, phonemes allophones.

II. Functions of phonemes.
III. The place of allophones in the sound system.


I. Speech sounds: phones, phonemes allophones.
Phonetics is the study of speech sounds and their acoustic effect. Phonetics has nothing to do with the sounds produced by animals. It only deals with the sounds produced by human beings. Moreover not all sounds uttered by human beings are speech sounds. For example, a whistle stopping a horse or clipping the tongue.
Thus we can say that we are dealing with the system of the sounds that are used in speech. This causes another question, sometimes the sounds we make can not be recognized as speech sounds but nevertheless they substitute our speech.
For example, - Have you done your home tasks? - Угу.