It is sometimes necessary for the tongue to be removed surgically (usually as a result of cancer) in an operation called glossectomy; surprisingly, patients are able to speak intelligibly after this operation when they have had time to practise new ways of articulating. START
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tonic This adjective is used in the description of intonation. A tonic syllable is one which carries a tone, i.e. has a noticeable degree of prominence. In theories of intonation where only one tone may occur in a tone-unit, the tonic syllable therefore is the point of strongest stress. START
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trachea This is more popularly known as the “windpipe”: it is the tube carrying air which descends from the larynx to the lungs. It runs close to the oesophagus, which carries food and drink down to the stomach. When something that should be going down the oesophagus starts going down the trachea instead, we get rid of it by coughing. START
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transcription In present-day usage, transcription is the writing down of a spoken utterance using a suitable set of symbols. In its original meaning the word implied converting from one representation (e.g. written text) into another (e.g. phonetic symbols). Transcription exercises are a long-established exercise for teaching phonetics. There are many different types of transcription: the most fundamental division that can be made is between phonemic and phonetic transcription. In the case of the former, the only symbols that may be used are those which represent one of the phonemes of the language, and extra symbols are excluded. In a phonetic transcription the transcriber may use the full range of phonetic symbols if these are required; a narrow phonetic transcription is one which carries a lot of fine detail about the precise phonetic quality of sounds, while a broad phonetic transcription gives a more limited amount of phonetic information. Many different types of phonemic transcription have been discussed: many of the issues are too complex to go into here, but the fundamental question is whether a phonemic transcription should only represent what can be heard, or whether it should also include sounds that the native speaker feels belong to the words heard, even if
© Peter Roach 2009