Consonants Flashcards
Consonants
-Produced by vocal tract constrictions that modify airstream from the larynx
-The tongue makes contact with other articulators to form consonants
Sonorants (resonants)
Produced with resonance throughout entire vocal tract
Obstruents (nonresonants)
Produced with resonance primarily in space anterior to constriction
Consonants Position
-Where consonants can show up
Prevocalic: before a vowel
Postvocalic: after a vowel
Intervocalic: between two vowels
Classification of Consonants
-Manner of articulation: How airstream is modified
-Place of articulation: Where the constriction is located
-Voicing: Whether vocal folds are vibrating
Consonants Place of articulation
-Place of articulation: Where the constriction is located
-Constriction is formed by two articulators
Bilabial
upper and lower lips involved
Labiodental
lower lip and upper central incisors
dental
tongue apex (blade) and teeth
alveolar
tongue apex (blade) and alveolar ridge
postalveolar
front of tongue and back of alveolar ridge
palatal
blade of tongue and hard palate
velar
back of tongue and velum
glottal
vocal folds
lingual
tongue
Stops (Plosives)
-Produced with a completely closed vocal tract: Airstream is completely obstructed; intraoral pressure is high
-Stops are further divided by place: bilabial, alveolar, velar
-Stops can be voiced or voiceless
Bilabial Stops
/p/ (vl), /b/ (v)
Alveolar Stops
/t/ (vl), /d/ (v)
Velar Stops
/k/ (vl), /g/ (v)
Alveolar Tap /ɾ/
-Allophone of /t/ (“latter”) or /d/ (“ladder”)
-Produced with a rapid movement of the tongue tip against the alveolar ridge
-Typically occurs in an intervocalic position where the first syllable received stress
Glottal stop /ʔ/
-Produced with vocal folds impeding and releasing airflow
-Typically occurs in syllable-final position (“hat”) or intervocalic position (“button”) followed by a syllabic /n/
Nasals
-Airstream is completely obstructed in oral cavity
-Same places of articulation: bilabial, alveolar, velar
-similar to stops
Bilabial nasals
/m/ voiced
Alveolar Nasal
/n/ voiced
Velar Nasal
/ŋ/ voiced
Nasals vs Stops
-Contrary to stops (obstruents)
Velum is lowered and airstream travels to nasal cavity and out through nares (sonorants)
-All nasals are voiced
-Nasals can be syllabic: /ɹɪʔn̩/ “written”