Articulation and Pronunciation Essays

Articulation and Pronunciation Essays Articulation and Pronunciation Essay Articulation and Pronunciation Essay ?Articulation, which refers to â€Å"the action of producing a sound or word clearly, in speech or music† (Collins Conbuild Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary) is usually considered as synonym of pronunciation, which means â€Å"the way in which a language or a particular word or sound is pronounced† (Collins Conbuild Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary). In general, there is no obvious differences between â€Å"articulation† and â€Å"pronunciation† since both of them possess the sense of â€Å"voicing† in terms of definition. However, â€Å"articulation† tends to be employed more frequently compared with â€Å"pronunciation† in the area of phonetics. Therefore, this essay is written to analyse two distinctions between â€Å"articulation† and â€Å"pronunciation† with regard to definition and different focuses in phonetics. To begin with the definition, articulation means the employment of various speech mechanisms, such as lips, tongue, and teeth to produce a sound, while pronunciation refers to â€Å"the way in which the words of a language are made to sound when speaking† (Pamela, 2011). Since articulation is â€Å"the physical production of a particular speech sound† and is regarded as â€Å"the last step of sound production†, its prominence depends on how a single phoneme is made, which involves the movements of different vocal organs when it comes to completing the modification of a sound (boundless, 2014). Apart from producing a sound, different articulators are equally engaged to function in recognisable patterns in terms of changing the sound, which in accordance with changing the â€Å"place of articulation† (Genetti, 2014). However, the usage of stress, rhythm, and tone alteration on different syllables is crucial for changing the sounds of words when it comes to pronunciation. Therefore, compared with pronunciation, the definition of which focuses more on prosodic dimension, the definition for articulation primarily concentra

Explore the Hidden Infrared Universe

Explore the Hidden Infrared Universe To Do Astronomy, Astronomers Need Light Most people learn astronomy by looking at things that give off light they can see. That includes stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies. The light we SEE is called visible light (since it is visible to our eyes). Astronomers usually refer to it as optical wavelengths of light. Beyond the Visible There are, of course, other wavelengths of light besides visible light. To get a complete view of an object or event in the universe, astronomers want to detect as many different kinds of light as possible. Today there are branches of astronomy known best for the light they study: gamma-ray, x-ray, radio, microwave, ultraviolet, and infrared.   Diving into the Infrared Universe Infrared light is radiation given off by things that are warm. It is sometimes called heat energy. Everything in the universe radiates at least some portion of its light in the infrared - from chilly comets and icy moons to clouds of gas and dust in the galaxies. Most infrared light from objects in space is absorbed by Earths atmosphere, so astronomers are used to putting infrared detectors in space. Two of the best-known recent infrared observatories are the Herschel observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope. Hubble Space Telescope has infrared-sensitive instruments and cameras, as well. Some high-altitude observatories such as Gemini Observatory  and the European Southern Observatory can be equipped with infrared detectors; this is because they are above much of Earths atmosphere and can capture some infrared light from distant celestial objects. Whats Out there Giving Off Infrared Light? Infrared astronomy helps observers peer into regions of space that would be invisible to us at visible (or other) wavelengths. For example, clouds of gas and dust where stars are born are very opaque (very thick and tough to see into). These would be places like the Orion Nebula  where stars are being born even as we read this. They also exist in places like the Horsehead Nebula. The stars inside (or near) these clouds heat the up their surroundings, and infrared detectors can see those stars. In other words, the infrared radiation they give off travels through the clouds and our detectors can thus see into places of starbirth.   What other objects are visible in the infrared? Exoplanets (worlds around other stars), brown dwarfs (objects too hot to be planets but too cool to be stars), dust disks around distant stars and planets, heated disks around black holes, and many other objects are visible in infrared wavelengths of light. By studying their infrared signals, astronomers can deduce a great deal of information about the objects emitting them, including their temperatures, velocities, and chemical compositions.   Infrared Exploration of a Turbulent and Troubled Nebula As an example of the power of infrared astronomy, consider the Eta Carina nebula. Its shown here in an infrared view from the Spitzer Space Telescope. The star at the heart of the nebula is called Eta Carinae- a massively supergiant star that will eventually blow up as a supernova. It is tremendously hot, and about 100 times the mass of the Sun. It washes its surrounding area of space with immense amounts of radiation, which sets nearby clouds of gas and dust to glowing in the infrared. The strongest radiation, the ultraviolet (UV), is actually tearing the clouds of gas and dust apart in a process called photodissociation. The result is a sculptured cavern in the cloud, and the loss of material to make new stars. In this image, the cavern is glowing in the infrared, which allows us to see the details of the clouds that are left.   These are just a few of the objects and events in the universe that can be explored with infrared-sensitive instruments, giving us new insights into the ongoing evolution of our cosmos.