Contrastive Analysis Cantonese Definition of Terms
18 study that deals with human speech sounds has a broad range of attempts to
describe all of the sounds known as human language world wide, a specification has to be made. According to Dobrovolsky and Katamba 1996, there are two
approaches to phonetics, articulatory phonetics and acoustic phonetics. Articulatory phonetics according to Dobrovolsky and
Katamba studies “the physiological mechanism of speech production”. Whereas acoustic phonetics
studies the measurement and analysis of the physical properties of the produced speech sounds.
They emphasize that “both approaches are indispensable to an understanding of speech p. 16.”
Using another term, Collins and Mees 2003 describe phonetics a s “the
science of speech sound”. They explain that mastering the science of speech sound is both prerequisite and beneficial in language learning. Studying phonetics
is going to help one to “discover much” about the sounds of the studied language in terms of how the should be perceived and produced. It will also help one
improving his or her “pronunciation and listening abilities” p. 2.
Jones 1975 defines phonetics in a more technical manner as compared to Collins and Mees 2003. He defines phonetics
as “the study on the acoustic effects voluntarily performed by human being organs of speech”. Thus, he implies
that phonetics deal with “spoken language” in which it consists of “successions of
phones emitted by the organs of speech, to gether with certain prosodies” p. 1.
19 2.1.2 Theories on the Definition of Speech Production
Dobrovolsky and Katamba 1996 explain that “sound is produced when air is
set in motion.” The term set in motion here refers to the understanding that the air supply, being provided by the lungs, is being manipulated throughout the whole
vocal tract by various organs so that this air supply can be recognized as speech sounds. The source of sound, according to them, is in the larynx, where the air is
processed by the vocal cords. The air, which has been processed, passes the pharynx, and then the oral cavity, and the nasal cavity p. 19. Thus is the
explanation of the sound-producing system according to Dobrovolsky and Katamba 1996.
Based on their explanation, it can be said that speech-sounds are products of the moving air that goes through the vocal tract. In a positive agreement, Indriani
2005 elucidates that “the air-stream provided by the lungs undergoes important
modifications in the upper stages of t he respiratory tract … p. 1” This is what
differentiate hum an sound with those of animals‟, that the sound produced by
people “undergoes important modifications” so that “it acquires the quality of a speech sound
” p. 1. So, it can be implied that in order to be properly produced, a speech sound needs to undergo the right modification through modification
occurring in the trachea, up to the upper cavities; the oral and the nasal cavities.