III. Segmental and suprasegmental phonetics.

Practical (or normative) phonetics studies the substance, the material form of phonetic phenomena in relation to meaning.

Theoretical phonetics is mainly concerned with functioning of phonetic units in the language. It regards phonetic phenomena synchronically without any special atten-tion paid to the historical development of English.

Phonetics itself is divided into two major components: segmental phonetics, which is concerned with individual sounds that are singled out in a speech sequence but recognizable by its characteristic features without taking into account such features as tone, voice, rhythm etc. (i.e. “segments” of speech; [d][L][t][q] – if a sound isn’t identified it means that it was mispronounced and the characteristic features were not there) and suprasegmental phonetics whose domain is the larger units of connected speech: syllables, words, phrases and texts. Segment – is the same total of articulatory features. On the segmental level we only take into a count articulatory aspects of speech sounds. Articulation of speech sounds doesn’t include supra segmental features. We see how organs work.

We can’t speak in segments, in transcription symbols. In a live conversation what we see in dictionaries as transcription are modified by other factors like tempo, timbre (or voice quality), melody, rhythm, and so on. A segment becomes alive only when it is supplemented by suprasegmental features or the features that are imposed on the segments.

For example, [kxntJn] – a set of segments. At this stage we can not even decide what

the stress pattern is and how the word should be actually pro-

nounced. The reason is that we can’t pronounce it properly.

Stress is a suprasegmental feature because it organizes the

segments.

Canteen? (Is it canteen?) Denotes your surprise and disbelief. We pro-

nounce with the question mark to show that we doubt very much.

This is the very particular manner of pronunciation that makes

the word alive, that organizes the segments into something

meaningful.

For example, are [R], [q·] – The quality of a segment may depend on stress or lack of

it. With the full stress we have the full vowel; with lack of stress we have

reduced sounds.

This variety of pronunciation may depend on the style. But style presupposes other factors and other elements. In an informal conversation the tempo is likely to be faster. The speech is not as measured as a formal conversation. Thus the reduction of the word “сколько” (скоко) may be ascribed to a number of factors like style, tempo, rhythm etc. These examples show that suprasegments and segments are inseparable and they tell on each other.

For example, [Im'pLt] – v The segments are the same, but the stress is different.

['ImpLt] – n The quality is the same in both the words. But there are differences in the quantity of their sounds. In the second word the quality of the first sound [I] isn’t changed, but it’s longer than that one in the first word under the influence of the stress. When compare the two sounds “p” we’ll speak about the degree of aspiration which is more observable in the first word and very weak in the second one. The first [L] is longer.

For example, [tq'deI]

[tq'deI·] ? When a “?” [eI] is longer. It was lightened due to melody of a question. If you have troubles with segments, you won’t speak fast.

We can’t consider sounds separately from prosodic modifying factors. Only as a unit they are able to convey the information a speaker gives including his/her attitude to it, its importance, and necessity, etc.