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Phonetics
Phonetics is the study of the sounds that we make when we speak. We use sounds to speak. Every word is made up
of one or more sounds. We put these sounds together to pronounce words. Phonetics is essential for understanding
how languages use sound to convey meaning and for improving pronunciation in language learning. If you engage
in phonetic exercises and training programs then it will help you enhance your pronunciation skills.
The English alphabet has 26 letters, from A to Z. But each of these letters can be pronounced in different ways in
different words. We use 26 letters to write in English. But, we use more than 26 sounds when we speak English. This
is why, a word's spelling does not always match its pronunciation. Let us see some examples.
Breakdown of Sounds
• Cat (/kæt/): The 'a' in "cat" is pronounced as a short vowel sound, /æ/, which is similar to ",s" in Hindi.
• Father (/ˈfɑːðər/): The 'a' in "father" is pronounced as a long vowel sound, /ɑː/, which can be approximated to
"vk" in Hindi.
• Name (/neɪm/): The 'a' in "name" forms part of a diphthong, /eɪ/, which is a combination of two vowel sounds,
similar to ",s" in Hindi.
• About (/əˈbaʊt/): The 'a' in "about" is pronounced as a schwa, /ə/, which is an unstressed and neutral sound,
often represented as "v" in Hindi.
Importance of Phonetics
By understanding and practicing phonetics, you can,
• Improve Pronunciation: It helps you learn the correct way to produce the sounds of English, leading to clearer
and more accurate speech.
• Enhance Listening Skills: It gives you a better platform to recognise and differentiate sounds thus improving
comprehension.
• Reduce Accent: It helps you gain awareness of how native speakers produce sounds, which helps in reducing
accents.
• Increase Confidence: It guides you in speaking with correct pronunciation and thus boosts the confidence in
communication.
Types of Sounds
In the English language the alphabets are not enough to match different types of sounds we make, when we speak.
Let us take a closer look at the sounds we use. All English words are made of three basic types of sounds.
• Vowels: The English alphabet has five vowels (a, e, i, o and u) but there are 12 vowel sounds. This means, most
vowels can be pronounced in different ways. We make a vowel sound when we read a vowel in a word. For
example, we pronounce the letter 'i' in the word 'bit' by using a vowel sound. In Hindi, it is fcV
• Diphthongs (combination sound of two vowels): We make a diphthong sound when we combine two vowels.
Diphthongs start as one vowel sound and go to another. For example, the sound 'ou' in the word "house" is a
diphthong or a combination. In Hindi, it is gkÅl
• Consonants: A consonant sound is any sound that is neither a vowel nor a diphthong sound. For example, we
use consonant sounds to say the letters 'p' and 't' in the word Pot. In Hindi, it is ikWV
Asking Questions-I
A question is a sentence, phrase, or word that either asks for information, or is used to test someone's knowledge.
We always use a question mark (?) at the end of a question.
Communication Skills-I 25

