Phonetics Linguistics

Phonetics usually started from kindergarten level as the beginning learners. As I have experienced in teaching in kindergarten until now, the pupils have some ways to learn about phonetic.
They are:
1. Audio sounds
2. Video sounds (from YouTube)
3. Flashcard
4. Books
5. Pictures
6. Games

Based on Ladefoged, phonetics is the study of speech sounds and their physiological production and acoustic qualities. it deals with configurations of the vocal tract used to produce speech sounds (articulary phonetics), the acoustics properties to speech sounds (acoustic phonetics), and the manner of combining sounds so as to make syllables, words, and sentences (linguistics phonetics). (Peter N. Ladefoged)

There are three (3) types of the study of the sounds of language:

1. Acoustics Phonetics
It is the study of the physical properties of sounds, which are determined by measuring pitch (formants and frequencies), loudness (amplitude), and quality (timbre).

2. Auditory Phonetics
It is the study of the way listeners perceive sounds.

3. Articulatory Phonetics
It is the study of how the vocal tracts produce the sounds.

1. Acoustics Phonetics

Sound Measurements and Sound Waves:

a. Frequencies: refer to the rate at which a sound wave cycles from positive (crest), to negative (trough), and back to positive. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which represents the number of cycles per second.

b. Amplitude is the measurement of the intensity or strength of a sound and is shown in decibels. More specifically, amplitude is the extent to which air particles are moved or altered during changes in atmospheric pressure caused by sound waves. The greater the change in the sound wave, the greater the amplitude.

c. Harmonics are pure tones that are common in nature; most systems vibrate in more than one mode (simultaneously)

d. Formants are the crest, or spectral peaks of a sound wave. Formants occur at around 1,000 HZ and correspond to a measurement of resonance produced in the vocal tract during phonation.The formant with the lowest frequency is referred to as the F1, the second F2, the third F3, etc.

2. Auditory Phonetics

Auditory phonetics focuses on the perception of sounds or the way in which sounds are heard and interpreted. Thus, we may say that while articulary phonetics is mainly concerned with the speaker, auditory phonetics deals with the other important participant in verbal communication, the listener.

3. Articulatory Phonetics

The major division in speech sounds is that between vowels and consonants.

There are some the spelling of words in misleading, especially in English. One sound can be represented by several different combinations of letters. For example, all of the following words contain the same vowel sound: he, believe, Lee, Caesar, key, amoeba, loudly, machine, people, and sea. 

       

Phonetic Alphabet for English Pronunciation
p	pill	d	dill	h	heal	ʌ	but
b	bill	n	neal	l	leaf	aj	light
m	mill	s	seal	r	reef	ɔj	boy
f	feel	z	zeal	j	you	ɪ	bit
v	veal	tʃ	chill	w	witch	ɛ	bet
θ	thigh	dʒ	Jill	i	beet	ʊ	foot
ð	thy	ʍ	which	e	bait	ɔ	awe
ʃ	shill	k	kill	u	boot	a	bar
ʒ	azure	g	gill	o	boat	ə	sofa
t	till	ŋ	ring	æ	bat	aw	cow

The difference between spelling and sounds led to the formation of the International Phonetics Alphabets (IPA). The symbols used in this alphabets can be used to represent all sounds of all human languages. The following is the American English Phonetics alphabets. You might want to memorize all of these symbols, as most foreign language dictionaries use the IPA.

Some speakers of English pronounce the words "which" and "witch" differently, but if you pronounce both words identically, just use w for both words. The sounds /ʌ/ and /ə/
are pronounced the same, but the former is used in stressed syllables,  while the latter is used in unstressed syllables.  This list does not even begin to include all the phonetics symbols though. One other symbol is the glottal stop, ʔ which is somewhat rare in English. Some linguist in the United States traditionally use different symbols than the IPA symbols. These are listed below.

U.S.	IPA
š	ʃ
ž	ʒ
č	tʃ
ǰ	dʒ
U	ʊ

When the children learn the phonetics during their earlier years,  it is easier for them to understand and say it in the proper way.  Let the children study about phonetics in the simple way, so they are able to say it fluently in the future.  

The last, Phonetics Linguistics for me is the sound wave of each word that consists of vowels and consonants.  

Resources: 

http://www.linguisticsnetwork.com/the-basics-about-acoustic-phonetics/ 

http://www.ello.uos.de/field.php/PhoneticsandPhonology/AuditoryPhonetics

https://ielanguages.com/phonetics.html

https://www.britannica.com/science/phonetics

Language and Linguistics

Hmm.. Can you guess what are we talking about from the picture above? 😁

If you say it's about greetings then it's wrong but if you answer it with language.. Yes.. Yes.. You guess correctly. This is about language. 

Based on Chomsky, language is a set (finite or infinite) of sentences, each finite in length,  and constructed out of a finite set of elements. Chomsky Syntactic Structures (1957:13)

As I found some references the meanings of Language from the resources that I got from the internet and dictionaries, I have an idea to write. 

The Language is the way of people communicate each other that consist of words which turn into sentences through writing and speaking and people who use the sign to talk or use and braille alphabets for the blind people. 

Then, there is linguistics. Based on Eric Digest, "Linguistics is the study of language. Knowledge of linguistics, however, is different from knowledge of a language. Just as a person is able to drive a car without understanding the inner workings of the engine, so, too, can a speaker use a language without any conscious knowledge of its internal structure. 

In general, linguistics is concerned with the nature of language and communication. 

Linguistics. There are the following subareas of linguistics: 

• Phonetics (the study of the production,  acoustics and hearing of speech sounds)
• Phonology (the patterning of sounds) 
• Morphology (the structure of words) 
• Syntax (the structure of sentences) 
• Semantics (meaning) 
• Pragmatics (language in context)

At last, when I researched the meaning of linguistics from some experts, I could get the simple meaning of it. 

Linguistics is understanding of language problems within the people. 

Here are some resources that I got to get this information:

https://linguistics.arizona.edu/content/what-linguistics-and-why-study-it-0

https://www.britannica.com/topic/language

What Semantic is

Myself (Fransiska Gan)

Something about my self..
I am a person who likes to have private time. For me, I need to have it for some hours in a day (it can be my time to have communication with God).I like to have the people around me being honest and have respect to me and the others as well. When we are able to respect the others,  I believe it will come back to us as well from other people even someone who didn't know us before. So, my motto in life are "Respect yourselves and others equally, Keep Faith in God, and Trust in Him more. 

I would like to tell a little bit about my background. I was born in Gunungsitoli, Nias Island. Maybe some of you do not know where the place is. This place is part of North Sumatra. Actually,  it has separated island from North Sumatra.
I used to have parents and one older brother. I lost my parents in 2003 and I lost my brother in 2005. My mom got cancer and my father got the high blood pressure. I was quite shocked at that time because I thought why it happened to me when I was young and still really needed them to teach me more. Since at that time,  I distanced myself from the others except from the people that I thought really care about me. I really thanked God because He gave me caring aunty from my mom's side. She gave me good education that I needed and being patient to me that made me felt being loved by someone other than my own parents. When I lost my older brother in 2005, I did not know how to feel sad anymore. I felt empty that time, I even mad to God for a while,  why was this happen to me? I felt so depressed. Fortunately, I still have my aunty beside me. She helped me during my difficult times. She motivated me and taught me to keep trust in God.

These are part of me that I like you to know. We can communicate more in the real conversation to know each other well. Have meaningful days everyone.
(Fransiska Gan)

SHE