A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics David Crystal

phonetics 363
phonemoid (n.) A term sometimes used in phonetics to refer to a transcription
in which the symbols (capital letters within slashes) represent units that
differ in particular ways from traditional conceptions of the phoneme. Typically,
the symbols represent acoustically based similarities across different languages
in, for example, syllable-final nasals and laterals or vowel and consonant
lengthening. The archiphoneme might also be described as a phonemoidal
construct.
phonestheme, phonesthesia, phonesthetics (n.)
see phonaesthetics
phonetically consistent form (PCF) In some studies of child language acquisition,
a vocalization which is recognizable, recurrent and apparently meaningful,
but which does not seem to equate with a word in the adult language; also
called a proto-word or (less commonly) vocable. As the term suggests, phonetically
consistent forms have articulatory stability, but they are none the less
phonetically less well controlled than words. Their meanings may also not be
referential, but relate to social activities or emotional states.
phonetic alphabet
see transcription
phonetic form (PF) A term used in government-binding theory for the
output of the phonological component of a grammar, or the phonological
component itself; also called phonological form. The term is given a revised status
in the minimalist programme, where it is also referred to as the ‘articulatory–
perceptual interface’.
phonetic gesture
phonetician (n.)
see gesture
see phonetics
phonetics (n.) The science which studies the characteristics of human soundmaking,
especially those sounds used in speech, and provides methods for
their description, classification and transcription. Three branches of the
subject are generally recognized: (a) articulatory phonetics is the study of
the way speech sounds are made (‘articulated’) by the vocal organs; (b) acoustic
phonetics studies the physical properties of speech sound, as transmitted
between mouth and ear; (c) auditory phonetics studies the perceptual response
to speech sounds, as mediated by ear, auditory nerve and brain. The term
instrumental phonetics is used for the study of any of these aspects of the subject
using physical apparatus, such as devices for measuring airflow, or for
analysing sound waves. People engaged in the study of phonetics are known
as phoneticians.
Phonetic categories are generally defined using terms which have their origins in
other subjects, such as anatomy, physiology and acoustics. consonant sounds,
for example, are described with reference to anatomical place of articulation
(as in dental, palatal, etc.), or to their physical structure (the frequency
and amplitude characteristics of the sound waves). Because these methods of
analysis are equally valid for all human speech sounds, regardless of the language
or speaker, the subject is often referred to as general phonetics. This term also