The subject matter of theoretical phonetic.

Phonetics is the study of speech sounds in 4 aspects. The articulatory aspect studies speech sounds from the point of view of kinesthetic, kinetic movements of the speech organs necessary to produce a single sound or a chain of sounds as every speech sound is a complex of definite finally coordinated and differentiated movements of the various speech organs.

The Acoustic aspect studies speech sounds as sound waves and as such their physical properties.

Auditory phonetics is concerned with how speech sounds are received by the ear.

The functional aspect studies most significant features of speech sounds and the way phonemes differentiate meaning.

All speech sounds can be heard as soft (piano=p), extra soft (pianissimo = pp), loud (forte = f), extra loud (fortissimo = ff). From the articulatory point of view it is connected with the movements of the vocal cords (vowels, voiced consonant) and the force of exhalation (voiceless consonants). The vocal cords are two bands of muscles which come together or apart, producing vibration. The amount of horizontal opening of the cords that is the amplitude of vibration relates to loudness (in vowels and voice consonants). The further the vocal cords move apart in the open phase the louder the resultant sound, and the smaller the gap the softer the sound. Loud sound will have large amplitude. Soft sound will have smaller amplitude.

For purposes of communication all of us are capable of varying the general loudness of our speech. We can also vary our loudness from utterance to utterance or within utterances, relying upon the situation.

In saying “it was scandalous” the syllable “scan” will be pronounced with a much greater amount of energy if we wish to express outrage. Differences in loudness are indicative of differences in strength of feeling. Extra loudness may affect whole sequences or only stressed syllables. “Thank you very much” said extra loudly sounds angry (Ff=angry)

Extra loudness may affect whole stressed syllables so in “it was very very pleasant”, there may be a generally increased loudness over the whole utterance or effecting only the first syllables of VEry and PLEAsant and we quite often find a contrast between a particularly loud stressed syllables and particularly soft unstressed syllables as in “it’s absolutely marvellous” where “ab” and “mar” are made especially loud and the remaining syllables are actually whispered.

Ff+pp = admiration

Abnormally reduced loudness “it was terrible” signals anguish rather than anger.

In saying smth (John told me – John Smith that is – that…) the parenthetical expression (вводное выражение) will often be said more quietly than what surrounds it simply to underline that it is a parenthesis. The same happens in the “I’d like – it won’t take me long to tell you a story ” the interpolation (вставка) “it won’t take me long” is accompanied by reduce loudness.

To express the direct quotations BBC news leaders use extraloudness.

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