English Phonetics and Phonology

3. Articulatory Phonetics: Consonants

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1. The organs of speech

Three groups of speech organs (articulators):
HEAD Articulatory system THROAT Phonatory system CHEST Respiratory system

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1.1. The respiratory system

The lungs and the bronchial tubes: pulmonic air Inhalation: ingressive airstream Exhalation: egressive airstream Majority of speech sounds in any language: egressive pulmonic air

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1.2. The phonatory system

Windpipe (trachea) Larynx (Adams apple) Vocal cords (vocal folds) and the glottis Wide apart: breathing, voiceless sounds Gently closed and vibrating: voice
Height of voice depends on speed (frequency) of vocal cord vibration

Firmly closed and released: glottal stop

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The larynx and the vocal cords

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1.3. The articulatory system

Head and throat above the larynx: supra-glottal vocal tract Three resonating cavities: Throat (pharynx, pharyngeal cavity) Mouth (oral cavity) Nose (nasal cavity)

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The articulatory system

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Oral and nasal articulation

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Articulators and their adjectives

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2. Description of consonants
Force of articulation: lenis or fortis Voicing: voiced or voiceless Oral or nasal release Manner of articulation Place of articulation

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2.1. Manners of articulation

Obstruents: the air is obstructed (held up) somewhere in the vocal tract Sonorants: the air escapes freely through the mouth or the nose, just like in the case of vowels

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2.1.1. Obstruents
Stops (plosives): complete closure in the mouth - the active articulator touches the passive articulator and completely cuts off the airflow through the mouth /p b t d k g/

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 Fricatives: narrowing between two organs, air escapes with friction - the active articulator does not touch the passive articulator, but gets close enough so that the airflow through the opening becomes turbulent /f v T D s z h/
Affricates: combination of stop plus fricative /tS dZ/
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2.1.2. Sonorants
Nasals: complete closure in the mouth but air escapes freely through the nose /m n N/ Approximants: the active articulator approaches the passive articulator, but does not even get close enough for the airflow to become turbulent.

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 Approximants that are apical or laminal are often called liquids.

Approximants that correspond to vowels are often called glides.

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Approximants
Liquids: air escapes relatively freely through the mouth without friction Laterals: air flows around the sides of the tongue /l/ Frictionless continuants: air escapes over the centre of the tongue /r/ Glides (semivowels): like vowels but very short and transitional /w j/
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Summary: manners of articulation

Obstruents Complete closure: Obstruction blocking airstream Plosives Affricates

Close approximation: Fricatives Narrowing with friction

Sonorants Partial closure Nasals Laterals Open approximation: Central approximants Narrowing without friction
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3.2. Places of articulation

Bilabial: the two lips are involved /p b m w/ Labio-dental: lower lip articulates with upper front teeth /f v/ Dental: tip of the tongue is pressed against the upper front teeth /T D/ Alveolar: tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge /t d n s z l/ Palato-alveolar: tip of the tongue touches the posalveolar part of the palate /S Z tS dZ r/ Palatal: the front of the tongue approaches the hard palate /j/ Velar: the back of the tongue is in contact with the soft palate (velum) /k g N/ Glottal: the vocal cords articulate /h/ (and the glottal stop of British English [?])
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3.1. Summary: places of articulation

Bilabial p b m w

Labio-dental Dental
Alveolar Palato-alveolar

f v T D
t d n s z l S Z tS dZ r

Palatal Velar
Glottal
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j k g N
h
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4. Summary: manners and places of articulation

Bilabial Labio- Dental Alveolar dental Palatoalveolar Pala -tal Velar Glottal

Ob str ue nt So n ora nt

Stop
Fricative Affricate Nasal Liquid

p b

t d f v T D s z S Z tS dZ
n l r

k g h
N

Glide

j
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5. Summary: the classification of consonants

direction of air stream: egressive or ingressive force of articulation: fortis or lenis vibration of vocal cords: voiced or voiceless position of soft palate: oral or nasal manner of articulation: obstruent or sonorant obstruent articulation: complete closure narrowing with friction sonorant articulation: partial closure narrowing without friction no obstruction place of articulation
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6. Sample descriptions of speech sounds

The soft palate is raised; the lips are closed. Lung air is compressed behind this closure. The air escapes when the lip closure is released. There is no vocal cord vibration.

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 The soft palate is raised; there is a closure between the tip, blade and rims of the tongue and the upper alveolar ridge and side teeth. At the same time, the front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate. The closure is released slowly, the air escaping over the centre of the tongue with friction occurring between the blade/front of the tongue and the alveolar/front palatal section of the roof of the mouth. There is no vocal cord vibration.
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 The soft palate is raised; the tip and blade of the tongue make a light contact with the upper alveolar ridge, and the side rims of the tongue a close contact with the upper teeth. The air escapes through a narrow groove in the centre of the tongue and causes friction between the tongue and the alveolar ridge. There is very little opening between the teeth. It is voiced.

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7. Readings
Ndasdy, . 2006. Background to English Pronunciation. Budapest: Nemzeti Tanknyvkiad. Chapter 4. Suggested reading

Andrs L. T. and Stephanides, E. 1988. An Outline of Present-day English Structure. Volume 1: Phonetics and Phonology. Budapest: Tanknyvkiad. Chapters 2 and 3.
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