English Phonetics: Consonants and Articulation
Classified in Biology
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Vowels and Consonants
A vowel is a sound produced without any closure in the mouth or throat. There's no obstruction in the buccal cavity. A consonant, conversely, involves at least one stoppage of airflow during vocalization.
Places of Articulation
The place of articulation describes where the obstruction occurs in the vocal tract. It's the point of contact between an active articulator (usually part of the tongue) and a passive articulator (typically part of the roof of the mouth).
- Bilabial: Both lips.
- Labio-dental: Upper lip and upper front teeth.
- Dental: Tongue tip/blade and upper front teeth.
- Alveolar: Tongue tip/blade and alveolar ridge.
- Post-alveolar: Tongue blade and back of the alveolar ridge.
- Palatal: Tongue front and hard palate.
- Velar: Tongue back and soft palate.
- Glottal: Epiglottis.
Manners of Articulation
The manner of articulation describes how the articulators (tongue, lips, palate) interact to produce a sound.
- Plosives: Firm contact between articulators stops airflow, followed by a harsh separation.
- Fricatives: Articulators create a narrow channel, forcing air through and producing friction.
- Affricates: Complete contact like plosives, but with a gradual separation like fricatives.
- Nasals: Air flows through the nasal cavity (velum lowered).
- Laterals: Tongue touches the palate, allowing air to flow through one or both sides of the mouth.
- Approximants: Articulators approach but don't create turbulent airflow.
- Semi-vowels/Semi-consonants: Brief sounds involving movement from closed to open (semi-consonants) or open to closed (semi-vowels).
Features of Plosives
Plosives involve a complete blockage of the vocal tract. Three phases occur:
- Close: Articulators come together.
- Hold: Air compresses behind the blockage.
- Release: Air is released explosively.
Features of Fricatives
Fricatives force air through a narrow channel created by two close articulators. Examples include [f] (lower lip and upper teeth), [x] (tongue back and soft palate), and [ɬ] (tongue side and molars).
Features of Affricates
Affricates combine a plosive start with a fricative release, usually at the same place of articulation. English examples include [t͡ʃ] and [d͡ʒ].