Phonetics Among Other Parts of Language

Methods of investigation used in Phonetics

Aspects of speech sounds. Units of Phonetics

Branches of Phonetics. Sphere of application of Phonetics

Vocal mechanism

Phonetics among other parts of language

Outline

I. Phonetics as a Branch of Linguistics

The word "phonetics" is derived from the Greek “phona” (‘sound’) and is used in two different meanings:

1) to some authors, usually non-phoneticians, phonetics is that part of grammar which deals with speech sounds;

2) to phoneticians, however, phonetics is an independent branch of linguistics which is concerned with the phonetic structure of a language.

In the XIXth and even at the beginning of the XXth century phonetics considered to be a part of grammar but the increasing recognition of the importance of phonetics in the study of a language, has led to great achievements in the field of phonetics. The development of the theory of phonemes, for instance, has caused a revolution in the treatment of many phonetic phenomena. A number of other important phonetic concepts have been developed; it is therefore possible to assert that phonetics should no longer be considered a part of grammar.

Phonetics occupies a peculiar position. On the one hand, phonetics is quite independent, and develops according to its own laws. Today the sphere of phonetics is wider and deeper than ever before; phonemes and their distribution in words, their mutual adaptation, stress, syllable formation, intonation, the relation between oral and written speech and a number of other problems have now become objects of phonetic investigation.

On the other hand, phonetics is closely connected with a number of other sciences, such as physics (or rather acoustics), biology, physiology and others. The more phonetics develops, the more various branches of science become involved in the field of phonetic investigation.

Phonetics is connected with such linguistic sciences as grammar, lexicology and stylistics.

Through the system of rules of reading phonetics is connected with grammar and helps to pronounce correctly singular and plural forms of nouns (e. g. books, bags, boxes), the past tense forms and past participles of English regular verbs (e. g. beg – begged, want – wanted, wish - wished).

Sound interchange is another manifestation of the connection of phonetics with grammar. For instance, this connection can be observed in the category of number (e. g. calf – calves [f – v], leaf - leaves [f – v], bath – baths [T - D], house – houses [s – z], man – men [{ - e]…); in the tense forms of irregular verbs (e. g. sing – sang – sung; write – wrote– written, etc.); in distinguishing parts of speech (e. g. use n [s] – use v [z]).

Phonetics is also connected with grammar through its intonation component. Sometimes intonation alone can serve to single out the logical predicate of the sentence ('He came home. He 'came home. He came 'home.). In affirmative sentences the rising nuclear tone may serve to show that it is an interrogation (He 'came home.).

Phonetics is also connected with lexicology. We can distinguish certain nouns from verbs (formed by conversion), e.g. 'abstract реферат — to ab'stract извлекать; 'object предмет — to ob'ject не одобрять; 'transfer перенос — to transfer переносить.

Homographs can be differentiated only due to pronunciation, because they are identical in spelling, e.g. bow [bou] лук — bow [bau] поклон; lead [li:d] руководство — lead [led] свинец.

Due to the position of word accent we can distinguish between homonymous words and word groups, e.g. `blackbird дрозд — 'black `bird черная птица.

Phonetics is also connected with stylistics first of all through intonation and its components: speech melody, word stress, rhythm, pausation and voice timbre which serve to express emotions, to distinguish between different attitudes on the part of the author and speaker. Phonetics is also connected with stylistics through repetition of words, phrases and sounds. Repetition of this kind serves the bases of rhythm, rhyme and alliteration. Onomatopoeia, a combination of sounds which imitate sounds produced in nature, is one more stylistic device which can serve as an example of the connection between phonetics and stylistics. E.g. tinkle, jingle, clink, ting, chink; chatter, jabber, clatter, babble; chirp, cheep, twitter, chirrup; slap, clap, dab, smack; crash, clang, bang.

Phonetics is an essential part of language because it gives language a definite form; the vocabulary and grammar of a language can function only when the language has phonetic form.

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