consonants Flashcards
plosive bilabial front
/p/ /b/
plosive alveolar mid
/t/ /d/
plosive velar back
/k/ /g/
affricate palato-alveolar mid-back
/tʃ/ /dʒ/
fricative labio-dental front
/f/ /v/
fricative dental front-mid
/θ/ /ð/
fricative alveolar mid
/s/ /z/
fricative plato-alveolar mid-back
/ʃ/ /ʒ/
fricative glottal back
/h/
nasal bilabial front
/m/
nasal alveolar mid
/n/
nasal velar back
/ŋ/
lateral alveolar mid
/l/
approximant bilabial front
/w/
approximant palato-alveolar mid-back
/r/
approximant palatal back
/j/
approximant velar back
/w/
plosive
They are produced by forming a complete obstruction to the flow of air out of the
mouth and nose, and normally this results in a build-up of compressed air inside the
chamber formed by the closure. When the closure is released, there is a small
explosion (see plosion) that causes a sharp noise. e.g. /p/ /b/ /t/ /d/ /k/ /g/
affricate
a complete closure is made somewhere in the mouth, and the soft palate is raised. Air pressure increases behind the closure, and then it’s released more slowly than in plosives. e.g. /tʃ/ /dʒ/
fricative
This type of consonant is made by forcing air though a narrow gap so that a hissing
noise is generated. When two vocal organs come close enough together for the movement of air between them to be heard. e.g. /f/ /v/ /θ/ /ð/ /ʃ/ /ʒ/ /s/ /z/ /h/
nasal
A nasal consonant is one in which the air escapes only through the nose. For this to
happen, two articulatory actions are necessary: firstly, the soft palate (or velum) must
be lowered to allow air to escape past it, and secondly, a closure must be made in the
oral cavity to prevent air from escaping through it. e.g. /m/ /n/ /ŋ/
lateral
a partial closure is made by the blade of the tongue against the the alveolar ridge. Air is able to flow around the sides of the tongue e.g. /l/
approximant
vocal organs come near to each other, but not so close as to cause audible friction, e.g. /r/ /w/ /j/
bilabial
using closing movement of both lips, e.g. /p/ /b/ /m/ /w/
