-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
1/12
10/1/20
Company
LOGO
PHONETICS & PHONOLOGY
CONSONANTS
1. Definition:
Consonants are the sounds in theproduction of which one
articulator movestowards another or two articulators cometogether,
obstructing the air-stream andthe air-stream cant get out
freely.
-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
2/12
10/1/20
2. Classification: In order to form consonants, the
air-stream
roug e voca cor s mus e o s ruc e nsome way.
Therefore, consonants can be classifiedaccording to the place
where the air-stream isobstructed (the place of articulation)and
the
manner of articulation).
According to place of articulation
The place of articulation is the locationof the obstruction of
the air-stream in thear cu a on o consonan s. escr es epoint at
which the articulators actuallytouch or are at their closest.
The most important places of articulationfor the roduction of En
lish consonantsare listed in the table below.
Notes: The terms used to describe thesounds are those which
denote the placeof articulation of the sounds
-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
3/12
10/1/20
1. Bilabials: are the sounds made with thetwo lips pressed
together or coming together.
. .
2. Labio-dentals: are the sounds which areproduced with the
lower lip touching the upperfront teeth.
e.g.
.produced with the tip or blade of the tonguetouching the upper
front teeth.
e.g.
-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
4/12
10/1/20
4. Alveolars: are the sounds which areproduced with the tip or
blade of the tongue
.
e.g.
5. Retroflex: is the sound which is producedwith the tip of the
tongue curling back towardsthe back of the alveolar ridge.
. .
6. Palato - alveolars: are the sounds whichare produced with the
tongue tip or blade
the alveolar ridge and the front of the hardpalate.
e.g.
7. Palatal: is the sound which is producedwith the front of the
ton ue comin close to the
hard palate.
e.g.
-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
5/12
10/1/20
8. Velars: are the sounds which areproduced with the back of the
tongueouc ng e so pa a e.
e.g.
9. Glottals: are the sounds which areproduced without the active
use of theton ue and other arts of the mouth.
e.g.
According to manner of
articulation
Manner of articulation is the way in whichthe air-stream is
obstructed or altered inthe production of speech sounds.
Itdescribes the types of obstruction caused
articulators.
-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
6/12
10/1/20
(Plosive)
1. Stops: are the sounds in the production of whichthere is a
complete closure of the articulators involved
- .There are two kinds of stops:
a. Oral stops (Plosives): are the sounds which areproduced with
the air-stream being stopped in the oral cavityand the soft palate
is raised blocking off the nasal cavity.Then the two articulators
come apart quickly and the air
. e.g.
b. Nasal stops (Nasals): they are produced with theairstream
being stopped in the oral cavity but the soft palateis down so that
the air can go out through the nose.
e.g.
-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
7/12
10/1/20
Notes: Although both oral stops and nasal stops can beclassified
as stops, the term stop itself is almost used byp one c ans o n ca
e an ora s op, an e erm nasa o n ca ea nasal stop.
2. Fricatives: are the sounds in the production of which
twoarticulators come close together but there is still a
smallopening between them so the air-stream is partiallyobstructed
and an audible friction noise (a hissing sound) is
.
e.g.
Notes: Fricatives are continuants consonants which means that
youcan continue making them as long as you have enough air in
your
lungs.
3. Affricates: are the sounds which are produced whena stop is
immediately followed by a fricative.
e.g.
4. Lateral: is the sound which is made when the air-stream is
obstructed at a point along the centre of theoral tract, with
incomplete closure between one or bothsides of the tongue and the
roof of the mouth.
e.g.
.which two articulators come close together but withoutthe vocal
tract being narrowed to such an extent that afriction noise is
produced.
e.g.
Notes: Approximants are called frictionless continuants.
-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
8/12
10/1/20
QUESTION
.more energy?
In general, which groups of consonantsare is pronounced with
more energy,voiced or voiceless consonants?
-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
9/12
10/1/20
Fortis and lenis
A voiced/voiceless pair such as /s/ and /z/ aredistinguished not
only by the presence or
breath and muscular effort involved in thearticulation.
It is generally said that those English consonantswhich are
usually voiced tend to be articulatedwith relativel weak ener ,
whereas thosewhich are always voiceless are relatively strong.
Thus, the voiceless consonants are sometimescalled fortis
meaning strong, and thevoiceless consonants in opposition are
thencalled lenis meaning weak.
QUESTION
Is the phoneme /u:/ pronouncedwith the same length in thesewor
s: oo vs. oo
What do you think makes thisdifference?
-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
10/12
10/1/20
Fortis consonants have the effect ofshortening a preceding
vowel. The effects mos no cea e n e case o ongvowels and diphthong,
though it does alsoaffect short vowels.
E.g. See seed seat
OBSTRUENT
Obstruent is a consonant where thepassage of the air from the
lungs iso s ruc e n some way or o er
Obstruent = stops and fricatives
-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
11/12
10/1/20
QUESTION
Study the positions of the tongue whenyou pronounce /l/ in two
words: leaveill.Are they the same?
Is the phoneme /l/ in pills closer to that ineave or
CLEAR AND DARK L
E.g. leave ill.
/l/ in leave: front of the tongue raised
c ear
/I/ in ill: back of the tongue is raised
dark l
Clear l never occurs before consonant orbefore a pause, but only
before vowels.
Dark l never occurs before vowels.
-
8/2/2019 PP - Week 4
12/12
10/1/20
Describing English consonants
The description includes the followinginformation:
a. Voicing
b. Place of articulation
c. Manner of articulation
e.g.
/n/: voiced alveolar nasal
Identifying English consonants
A description is given and you have toidentify which sound is
being described.
e.g. Voiced velar nasal:
voiceless palato-alveolar fricative:
voiced bilabial stop:
voiced labio-dental fricative:
voiced alveolar lateral:
voiceless palato-alveolar affricate:
voiced dental fricative:
