Week - 2 - Consonants - and - Vowels - PPT Filename - UTF-8''Week 2 - Consonants and Vowels

Week 2
Description and classification

of sounds
Consonants
Definition
The sounds which are articulated with some
kind of stricture, or closure, of the air stream.
Those segments which occur at the edges of
syllables, and are optional in the syllables.
Classification
In order to form consonants, the air-stream
through the vocal organs must be obstructed in
some way. Therefore, consonants can be
classified according to:
the place where the air-stream is obstructed (the
place of articulation), and
the way in which the air-stream is obstructed (the
manner of articulation).
According to place of articulation

The place of articulation is the location of the obstruction
of the air-stream in the articulation of consonants.
It describes the point at which the articulators actually
touch or are at their closest.
The most important places of articulation for the
production of English consonants are listed in the table
below.
(Notes: The terms used to describe the sounds are those
which denote the place of articulation of the sounds.)

1. Bilabial: The two lips are pressed together or coming together.
The tongue remains in the "rest position".
e.g.
2. Labio-dental: The lower lip is brought up against the upper front
teeth. The tongue is in rest position.
e.g. /f/, /v/
3. Inter-dental/Dental: The tip of the tongue protrudes between the
teeth or touches the back of the upper teeth.
e.g. //,
4. Alveolar: The tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge.
e.g. /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /l/, /n/

5. Alveolo-palatal/Palato-alveolar: The front or blade of the tongue
is raised to an area between the alveolar ridge and the palate.
e.g
6. Palatal: The front of the tongue is brought up against the hard
palate.
e.g. /j/
7. Velar: The back of the tongue is brought into contact with the
velum.
e.g. /k/, //, //
8. Glottal: The vocal cords, functioning as articulators, make a brief
closure. e.g. /h/
According to manner of articulation

Manner of articulation is the way in which the airstream is obstructed or altered in the production of
speech sounds. It describes the types of obstruction
caused by the narrowing or closure of the
articulators.

1.
Stop (Oral stop/Plosive): The air-stream is stopped in the

oral cavity and the velum is raised blocking off the nasal
cavity. Then the two articulators come apart quickly and the
air escapes through the oral tract. E.g.
2.
Nasal (Nasal stop): The air-stream is stopped in the oral

cavity but the velum is lowered so that the air can go out
through the nose. E.g.
Note: For every stop position in English, there is a nasal

articulated in the same position.
andandand

3.
Fricative (Spirant): Two articulators come close together

but there is still a small opening between them so the airstream is partially obstructed, and an audible friction noise
(a hissing sound) is produced. E.g.
Notes: Fricatives are continuants consonants which

means that you can continue making them as long as you
have enough air in your lungs.
4.
Affricate: A stop is immediately followed by a homorganic

fricative. E.g. /t, /

5.
Approximant (Frictionless continuant): Two articulators come

close together but without the vocal tract being narrowed to such
an extent that a friction noise is produced.
a.
Lateral: The central portion of the vocal tract is completely

closed, the air may pass around the sides with no stricture
(open approximation). Eg. /l/
b.
Retroflex: The underside of the tongue curls back behind the

alveolar ridge towards the palate. Eg. /r/
c.
Glide (Semi-vowel): There is a glide to or from a vowel. This

sound is articulated like a vowel (with no stricture) but functions
as a consonant in the syllable. Eg. /w/, /j/
According to voicing
1.
Voiced consonants: are produced when the vocal

cords are vibrating.
E.g.
2.
Voiceless consonants: are produced when the vocal

cords are not vibrating.
e.g. /p, f,
English consonants phonetic notation

See Table 2.1 (Brinton, 2000, p.27)
The description includes the following information:
a. Voicing
b. Place of articulation
c. Manner of articulation
E.g.
/s/: voiceless alveolar fricative

/n/: voiced alveolar nasal
:/:
:/:
::
::
English consonants Phonetic Notation

Answers:
//: voiceless labiodental fricative
//: voiced alveolar plosive
//: voiceless interdental fricative
//: voiced palatal approximant (glide)
//: voiced velar plosive
//: voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate
//: voiceless glottal fricative*
voiced velar nasal
Identifying English consonants

A description is given and you have to identify 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:
Identifying English consonants

Answers:
voiced bilabial stop:
voiced labio-dental fricative:
voiced alveolar lateral:
voiceless palato-alveolar affricate:
voiced dental fricative:
Vowels
Definition
Vowels are the sounds in the production of which none
of the articulators come very close together so the
passage of air-stream is relatively unobstructed and
the air can get out freely.
Vowels depend mainly on the variations in the position
of the tongue. They are normally voiced.
Cardinal vowels
Represent the range of vowels that the human
articulators can make.
Primary cardinal vowels: most familiar to the
speakers of most European languages.
List of cardinal vowels:
http://www.phonetics.ucla.edu/course/chapter1/v
owels.html
Cardinal vowels (and more)
Classification
Vowels (monophthongs) can be classified
according to three variables:
a. Tongue height
b. Part of the tongue which is raised
c. Degree of lip rounding
Classification
According to tongue height

1. High vowels: are those in the production of which the
tongue is high in the mouth. It is raised above its rest
position.
e.g.:
2. Low vowels: are those made with the tongue below its
rest position.
e.g.:
3. Mid vowels: are those made with the tongue neither high
nor low in the mouth.
e.g.:
According to the part of the tongue raised

1.
Front vowels: are those in the production of which the

front of the tongue is the highest point.
e.g.
2.
Back vowels: are those in the production of which the

back of the tongue is the highest point.
e.g.
3.
Central vowels: are those made with neither the front nor
the back of the tongue. The tongue is neither high nor low
in the mouth when central vowels are produced.
e.g.
According to degree of lip rounding

1.
Rounded vowels: are those made with rounded lips.

The corners of the lips are brought towards each other
and the lips are pushed forwards. E.g.
2.
Unrounded vowels: are those made with the lips

spread. The corners of the lips are moved away from
each other as for a smile. E.g.
3.
Neutral vowels: are those made with the lips neither

rounded nor spread. E.g.
Long and short vowels

Long vowels:
Short vowels:
Long vowels tend to be longer than short vowels in
similar contexts. The symbols consist of one single
vowel plus a length mark made of two dots.
They are different from short vowels not only in length
but also in quality, resulting from differences in tongue
shapes and lip positions.
Diphthongs
Definition:
A diphthong is a glide from one vowel to another, and

the whole glide acts like one of the long simple vowels.
In terms of length, diphthongs are like long vowels.
The most important thing to remember about all the

diphthongs is that the first part is much longer and
stronger than the second part. As a result, the second
part is shorter and quieter.
E.g.
Diphthongs
Classification:
Centring: ending in
Closing
Ending in
Ending in
Which group do these vowels belong to?
English vowels phonetic notation

Describing:
long/short
high/low
front/back
rounded/unrounded.
E.g. - short mid front unrounded vowel
- long high back rounded vowel
Identifying vowels
Identification:
E.g. long mid central unrounded vowel -
short low front neutral vowel -

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Week 2

Description and classification

According to place of articulation

According to place of articulation

According to place of articulation

According to manner of articulation

According to manner of articulation

Stop (Oral stop/Plosive): The air-stream is stopped in the

Nasal (Nasal stop): The air-stream is stopped in the oral

Note: For every stop position in English, there is a nasal

According to manner of articulation

Fricative (Spirant): Two articulators come close together

Notes: Fricatives are continuants consonants which

Affricate: A stop is immediately followed by a homorganic

According to manner of articulation

Approximant (Frictionless continuant): Two articulators come

Lateral: The central portion of the vocal tract is completely

Retroflex: The underside of the tongue curls back behind the

Glide (Semi-vowel): There is a glide to or from a vowel. This

Voiced consonants: are produced when the vocal

Voiceless consonants: are produced when the vocal

English consonants phonetic notation

/s/: voiceless alveolar fricative

English consonants Phonetic Notation

Identifying English consonants

Identifying English consonants

Cardinal vowels (and more)

According to tongue height

According to the part of the tongue raised

Front vowels: are those in the production of which the

Back vowels: are those in the production of which the

According to degree of lip rounding

Rounded vowels: are those made with rounded lips.

Unrounded vowels: are those made with the lips

Neutral vowels: are those made with the lips neither

Long and short vowels

A diphthong is a glide from one vowel to another, and

In terms of length, diphthongs are like long vowels.

The most important thing to remember about all the

English vowels phonetic notation

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