Phonetics, Phonology, and the Organs of Speech

The Kenstowicz article talks about the distinction between phonology and phonetics and how this distinction developed partly from the discovery that native speakers often believe that certain sounds are identical even though they are distinct phonetically. One example of this that is studied in great depth throughout the article is the coronal stop [t] sound, which has as many as eight distinct pronunciations. 

Another interesting topic covered in the Kenstowicz article was the distinction between words such as writer and rider that is made in the difference in phonetic length of the preceding vowel lengths. All other aspects of these words are pronounced identically, however there is an illusion that the difference in pronunciation comes from the consonants [t] and [d]. This is merely an illusion, though, because the real distinction comes from the length of the [i] sound before these consonants. 

It’s very interesting to have these distinctions concretely explained, because I’ve never thought about these topics before so they’re all brand new to me. It’s easy to mistake distinctions between words when you’re sounding them out, but once they’re written in front of you and certain “non-existent” sounds are removed from the word, you see that you’re only pronouncing certain letters and sounds in the word, which I find very interesting to learn.

The Gussenhoven article, in contrast, discussed the physical, anatomical origins of speech production and the mechanics behind this phenomenon. I found it interesting that Gussenhoven asserted that although there are many organs - the lungs, larynx, pharynx, ext. - that are associated with speech and sometimes referred to as “organs of speech,” all of these organs have primary functions relating to the respiratory and digestive systems. Their primary functions are essential to our survival, their secondary functions as speech organs allow us to make sounds and communicate at a high level. 

The article continued to a discussion of “special types of phonation,” which include whisper, breathy voice, and creaky voice. Whisper is created by increased friction in the vocal tract which causes sound as air moves through it. Breathy voice, on the other hand, occurs when air is allowed to flow through without a closing phase. Finally, creaky voice is a result of tight vocal folds. These three types of phonation are distinct from a “normal voice” in their mechanical mode of production. As an engineer, I find this aspect very interesting - that such differences can be created as a result of tiny changes in the vocal tract.