The importance of phonetics

Phonetics are really important not only for the English Language but also for the other languages. We can use phonetics to know the and to learn how to produce the sounds of vowels, consonants, and words.In phonetics we can learn how to produced the sounds by using our speech organs; it is really important to know the sounds that each organ produces and how they produce each sound.

Phonetics is important because it helps us to know better how the sounds are produced.

Here we have a video about the iportance of phonetics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u5zxgQF_BQ

In this video you could see how important is phonetics to comunicate with others.

The vocal track

The vocal track is the area from the nose and the nasal cativity down to the vocal cords deep in the throat. It is important to know the parts of the vocal track because in this way we are going to have a better idea how these parts are used to produced sounds.

If you click this link you could see an explanation about the vocal track and an illustration about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u5zxgQF_BQ

If you click this other link you could see in a video a real illustration about the vocal track when producing sounds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2_NFsprEF0 

In this link you could see the places of articulation and if you click on each of the places of articulation you could see a definition of them:

http://www-01.sil.org/mexico/ling/glosario/E005ci-PlacesArt.htm

The speech organs are divided into three parts:

• Phonatory system 

• Respiratory system

• Articulatory system

This is a link in which you can see and learn the parts of the articulatory, phonatory and respiratory system: 

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/anatomy.htm

Places and manners of articulation

In the English language we have consonant sounds and vowels sounds.

First of all we are going to study the CONSONANT SOUNDS. The consonant sounds are created when there is a blockage or constriction of air in the vocal track.

The places where the constrictions/obstruction of air occurs:

• Dental
• labio-dental
• Bilabial
• Alveolar
• Post-alveolar
• Palatal
• Velar
• Glotal

In this lin you could see each of the places of articulation with the phonetics symbols and their sounds:

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/english_main.swf

The manners of articulation can be:

• Stop: and it can be voiceless or voiced
• Fricative: it can be voiceless or voiced
• Africative: it can be voiceless or voiced
• Nasal sound: it is just voiced
• Liquid sound: it is just voiced
• Glide sound:it is just voiced

In this link you also could find the manners of articulation with the phonetics symbols and their sounds.

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/english_main.swf

This is a link in which you will find an exercise about manners of articulation:

http://ic-migration.webhost.uits.arizona.edu/icfiles/ic/lsp/site/Phonetics%20Exercises/MOA1.html 

It is important to practice this kind of exercises because in this way you are going to be improving day by day.

Voiced and Voiceless sounds

The voiced sounds are when we feel vibration in our throat, and voiceless is we do not feel vibration in our throat, just a short explosion of air as we pronounce.
This is a video about voiced and voiceless sounds:

The Retroflex sounds

The retroflex sound is a consonant sound produced with the tip of the tongue curled back toward the hard palate. 
RETRO: BACK
FLEX: FOLD
This is a video about the retroflex sounds:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=retroflex+sounds





This is a link about the retroflex consonats, in here you will find the information about it:

http://facweb.furman.edu/~wrogers/phonemes/phono/retro.htm

This is an important tool in which you can practice the exercises about the retroflex sounds:

https://books.google.com.gt/books?id=gsTiWZoUU9oC&pg=PA158&lpg=PA158&dq=exercises+of+the+retroflex+sounds&source=bl&ots=oUtPqAT9rY&sig=8Go28LFvU7uMO7sH_7RRhrzfj9Q&hl=es-419&sa=X&ei=X8kAVZ6cKsa1sQS924GYBQ&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=exercises%20of%20the%20retroflex%20sounds&f=false

The vowel diagram & Lip rounding vowels

This diagram is  a schematic arrangement of the vowels. In the diagram we can see that there are rounded and unrounded vowels. As you can see there is front, central, and back.

The rounded vowels are: [yø œ ɶ ɒ ɔ o ʊ u ʉ]

The unrounded vowels are: [i ɪ e ɛ æ a ɐ ɑ ʌ ɤ ɯ ɨ ɜ ə]




In this image you can see when the lips are rounded and unrounded:

In this link you will find a very interesting information about the rounded and unrounded vowels:
http://clas.mq.edu.au/speech/phonetics/phonetics/vowelartic/lip_posture.html

In this link you will find information and exercises about the rounded and unrounded vowels:

http://www.tap.msu.edu/team/online/Default.aspx

Here we have a video about the front unrounded vowels:

Here we have the back rounded vowels:

Monophthongs, Diphthongs and Consonants

Monophthongs are a sound of a simple vowel. In the mono thongs we have front, central, and back vowels.

Diphthongs are two vowels produced consecutevely in the same syllable by moving the articulators smoothly from the position of  one to the other.

If you click this link you will find the front, central, and back vowels with their pronunciation, and also you will find the diphthongs with thier pronunciation:

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/english_main.swf

When you click this link you will find a page which contains a series of monothongs and diphthongs:

http://usefulenglish.ru/phonetics/practice-vowel-contrast

In this link you will a very useful information about monophthongs and diphthongs, also in this page are examples and some interesting videos about it:

http://www.really-learn-english.com/english-pronunciation-lesson-17-dipthongs.html

This is another interesting link in which you will find exercises about monophthongs and diphthongs:

http://www2.vobs.at/ludescher/pdf%20files/Pronunciation%20exercises.pdf