The consonants of English
Q: - 1 Describe the consonants of English.
Q: - 1 Describe various
consonants according to their place, manner and lip positions.
¬ Introduction:-
Þ
Any consonants can be described by three ways.
(a) According
to the position of glottis they are considered whether they are voiced or
voiceless.
(b) According
to the stricture involved in articulation. Plosive, affricate, nasal,
fricative, etc. are labels given to consonants according to their manner of
articulation.
(c) Consonants
can be described according to their places of articulation.
Three are 24 consonants of English. If we analyses it will
show the following strength.
1.
Plosives = 6 consonants
2.
Affricates = 2consonants
3.
Nasals =
3consonants
4.
Fricatives = 9 consonants
5.
Lateral = 1 consonants
6.
Approximant =
3consonants
|
Place Manner
|
Bilabial
|
Labio-dental
|
Dental
|
Alveolar
|
Post- Alveolar
|
Palato- Alveolar
|
Palatal
|
Velar
|
Glottal
|
|
Voice
|
less
|
ed
|
less
|
ed
|
less
|
ed
|
less
|
ed
|
less
|
ed
|
less
|
ed
|
less
|
ed
|
le
|
ed
|
le
|
ed
|
|
Nasal
|
m
|
|
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n
|
|
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J
|
|
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Plosives
|
p b
|
|
|
|
|
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t
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d
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|
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|
|
|
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k
|
g
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|
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Affricate
|
|
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t ¦
|
d3
|
|
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Fricative
|
|
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f
|
v
|
q
|
ð
|
|
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|
¦
|
3
|
|
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h
|
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Lateral
|
|
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l
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|
|
|
|
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|
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A.mat
|
|
w
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
r
|
|
|
|
|
j
|
w
|
|
|
|
(1) Plosives Consonants:-
“A Sound produced with a stricture of
complete closure and sudden release is called plosives sound.” “The initial sounds in the words pin, bin,
tin, din, kin, and gun are plosives. i.e. /p/, /b/, /k/, /g/, /t/, /d/ are
plosive sounds.
(a) /p/
consonant:-
Þ
Soft palate is raised. Nasal passage is shut.
Two lips come together. Oral passage is closed. Vocal cords are kept wide. Lung
air is pushes. It comes out suddenly making an explosive sound. Thus /p/ is a voiceless
bilabial plosive.
(b) /p/
consonant: -
Þ
It is like /p/. During articulation vocal cords
vibrate. Thus /b/ is a voiced bilabial plosive.
(c) /t/
consonant:-
Þ
Soft palate is raised. Nasal passage is shut.
The tip of the tongue makes a firm contact with the alveolar ridge and thus the
oral passage is closed. Vocal cords are kept wide. When the tip of the tongue
is removed suddenly from the teeth ridge, the air comes out suddenly making an
explosive sound. Thus /t/ is a voiceless alveolar plosive.
(d) /d/
consonant: -
Þ It
is like /t/. Vocal cords vibrate. Thus /d/ is a voiced alveolar plosive.
(e) /k/
consonant: -
Þ
Soft palate is raised. Nasal passage is shut.
The back tongue comes in firm contact with soft palate. Vocal cords are kept
wide. When the back of the tongue is removed suddenly from the soft palate, the
air comes out suddenly making an explosive sound Thus /k/ is a voiceless velar plosive.
(f) /g/
consonant:-
Þ
It is almost like /k/. Vocal cords vibrate. Thus
/g/ is a voiced velar plosive.
(2) Affricate sounds:-
“Sound produced with a stricture of
complete closure and slow releases is called Affricate. ”
Þ
Mouth is completely closed and after in the air
is released slowly. Oral and nasal passage is blocked first and then oral
passage opens slowly to push the air out. While speaking these sounds little
friction (not explosive) sound is heard.
Þ
“The initial sounds in the words chin and jam
are affricative sounds
1. / t ¦/
consonant:
Þ
During the articulation of / t ¦/ the
soft palate is raised. Nasal passage is shut. The tip of the tongue goes
alveolar ridge. Front tongue is raised to the hard palate. Air is ready to come
out. The tip and blade are removed. Vocal cords are wide apart. So / t ¦/ is a
voiceless palato-aveolar affricate consonant.
2. / d3/
consonant:-
Þ
This consonant is same as / t ¦/.
Vocal cards vibrate. So it a voiced
Palato-alveolar affricate consonant.
(3) Nasal sounds:-
“Sounds that are articulated with a
stricture of complete oral closure are called Nasals.”
Þ
Oral passage complete closed. The soft palate is
lowered. Nasal passage is opened. Through nostrils the air freely escapes. Thus
From nose air is released that create Nasalize sounds.
Þ
“The initial sounds in the words sum, sun and
sung are some example of nasal consonants
(1)
/m/ consonant:-
Þ
During the articulation of /m/, the two tips
make a firm constant with each other and The soft palate is lowered. Oral
passage is shut. Vocal cords vibrate producing voice. Glottis remains open as
well. So /m/ is voiced bilabial nasal consonant.
(2)
/n/ consonant:-
Þ
During the articulation of /n/, The tongue
touches to alveolar ridge and The soft
palate is lowered. Oral passage is shut. Vocal cords vibrate producing voice.
Glottis remains open as well. So /n/ is voiced alveolar nasal consonant.
(3)
/J/ consonant:-
Þ
During the articulation of /J/,
The back of the tongue touches soft palate. and The soft palate is lowered.
Oral passage is shut. Vocal cords vibrate producing voice. Glottis remains open
as well. So /m/ is voiced Velar nasal consonant.
(4) Fricatives sounds:-
“Sounds that are articulated with a
stricture of close approximation are called Fricatives.”
Þ
The soft palate is raised. Nasal passage is
shut. Lung air passes the narrow passage created between soft palate and
tongues. It is almost close approximation. There is also friction which is
audible. .
Þ
“The initial sounds in the words five, vine,
thin, sip, zip, sheep and hat are some example of fricatives consonants. i.e.
/f/, /v/, /q/,
/ð/. /d/, /s/, /z/, /h/.
(1)
/f/ consonant:-
Þ
During the articulation of /f/ the soft-palate is raised and closes nasal
passage. The lower lip comes near upper teeth. The air passes through a narrow
gap between them. Through a narrow gap between them. Audiable friction is
heard. Vocal cord are wide apart. /f/ is voiceless libio-dental fricative.
(2)
/v/ consonant:-
Þ
Like /f/ this consonant is spoken. Vocal cords
vibrate producing voice. So /v/ is voiced libio-dental fricative.
(3)
/q/ consonant:-
Þ
Like /f/ and /v/ friction is there. But the
tongue goes to the front teeth. Vocal cords are apart. /q/ is voiles dental
fricative.
(4)
/ð/ consonant:-
Þ
It is similar to /q/. Vocal cords are closed.
Vibration is there. /ð/ is voiced dental fricative.
(5)
/s/ consonant:-
Þ
It is like other fricatives. But the tip of the
tongue goes to teeth ridge. Vocal cords are open. So /s/ is a voiceless
alveolar fricatives.
(6)
/z/ consonant:-
Þ
Same as /s/. Vocal cords are wide open. So it is
voiced alveolar fricative consonant.
(7)
/h/ consonant:-
Þ
The lung air passes through a narrow glottis. So
it is a voiceless glottal fricative consonants.
(5) Laterals sounds:-
“Sounds that are articulated with a
stricture of complete closure in the centre of the vocal tract but with the air
escaping along the sides of tongue without any friction are called laterals.”
1. /l/ consonants:-
Þ
During the articulation of /l/ the soft palate
is raised so as to shut off nasal passage of air. The tip of the tongue make a
firm contact with the alveolar ridge. The tongue sides are lowered and vocal
cord vibrate producing voice. /l/ is thus a voiced alveolar consonant.
(6) Approximants sounds:-
“Sounds that are articulated with a
stricture of open approximation are called frictionless continuants and semi-
vowels.”
Þ
There are three approximants in English. These
are /r/, /j/, /w/.
1.
/r/ consonant: -
Þ
The tip of the tongue goes near the teeth ridge.
Air passes through it, without any friction. The vocal cords vibrate producing
voice. This is a voiced post alveolar approximant.
2.
/j/ consonant: -
Þ
The front tongue is raised up to between front
close and front half-close. Soft palate is raised. Nasal passage is blocked Vocal
cords vibrate. Lips are spread in rounding position a bit. /j/ is voiced
palatal approximant.
3.
/w/ Consonant:-
Þ
Soft palate goes up. Nasal passage is shut. Lips
are rounded. Vocal cords vibrate as they are closed. So /w/ is a voiced
lebio-velar approximant.
Þ
These consonant often have slight variation
following the next consonant. They are known as allophonic variation.
