CONSONANT SOUNDS DIFFERENT CLASSIFICATIONS
Classification of Consonants
Most English consonants can be classified using three articulatory parameters:
Voicing: vibration or lack of vibration of the vocal folds.
Place of Articulation: the point at which the air stream is most restricted.
Manner of Articulation: What happens to the moving column of air.
Places of Articulation
Lips: Bilabial consonants /p, b, m, w/ Lips and teeth: Labiodental consonants: /f, v/ Teeth: Interdental consonants /θ, ð/ Alveolar ridge: Alveolar consonants /t, d, s, z, n, l/ Central palate (or hard palate): Palatal consonants / ʃ, ʒ, r, tʃ, dʒ, y/ Velum (or soft palate): Velar consonants /k, g, ŋ/
Glottis: Glottal fricative /h/
Manner of Articulation
The process by which the moving column of air isshaped is called the manner of articulation. For English,
these are:
Stops: /p, t, k, b, d, g/
Fricatives: /f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/
Affricates: / ʧ, ʤ/
Nasals: /m, n, ŋ/ (sometimes called “nasal stops”)
Liquids: /l, r/
Glides: /w, y, hw/
Voiced and Voiceless
Voicing introduces vibration into the resonating column of air. When the vocal folds are tensed, they vibrate as the air stream passes them. The result is a voiced sound, such as /z/ and /v/. When the vocal folds relax, the air stream passes them without causing vibration. The result is a voiceless sound, such as /s/, /f/ and /t/.
The Stops
Stops occur when the air stream stops completely for an instant before it exits the vocal tract. Voiceless stops in English are the /p/ in pour and slap, the /t/ in time and adept, and the /k/ in cold and poke. Voiced stops are the /b/ in bow and crab, the /d/ in dock and blood, and the /g/ in game and bag
The Fricatives
Fricatives occur when the air stream is audibly disrupted but not stopped completely.
Voiced fricatives are the /v/ in very and shove, the /ð/ in thy and bathe, the /z/ in zoo and wise, and the /ʒ/ in measure and
Zha Zha.
Voiceless fricatives are the /f/ in fool and laugh, the /θ/ in thigh and bath, the /ʃ/ in shock and nation, the /s/ in soup and
miss, and the /h/ in hope and ahoy.
Affricates start out as a stop, but end up as a fricative. There are two affricates in English, both of which are palatal. Therefore we do not need to mention place of articulation to describe afficates.
The voiceless affricate is the /tʃ/ in lunch and chapter.
The voiced affricate is the /dʒ/in germ, journal and wedge.
The Nasals
Nasals occur when velum is lowered allowing the air stream to pass through the nasal cavity instead of the mouth. The air stream is stopped in the oral cavity, so sometimes nasals are called “nasal stops.” We will just call them “nasals.”
Nasals are the /m/ in mind and sum, the /n/ in now and sign, and the /ŋ/ in sing, longer and bank.
The Liquids
Liquids occur when the air stream flows continuously through the mouth with less obstruction than that of a fricative. Both
liquids in English are voiced, so we don’t need to mention voicing when we describe liquids.
The “lateral” liquid, /l/, is pronounced with the restriction in the alveolar region at the beginning ofsyllables, as in low and syllable, but in the velar region at the ends of syllables, as in call, halter, and (optionally) syllable. It is called “lateral” because air flows around the sides of the tongue The “central” liquid is the /r/ in rough and chore. This also has various pronunciations. It is called “central” because air flows over the center of the tongue. So the terms “central” and “lateral” replace the place of articulation in descriptions of the liquids.