Frictionless continuants

Question 1

Nasals

Answer 1

There are three nasal consonants: /m,n,ŋ/
They are produced by checking the air passage at some point in the mouth and at the same time the breath stream escapes through the nasal cavity.
All nasals are VOICED i.e. pronounced with the vibration of the vocal cords. They have a great degree of sonority and resemble vowels. When in medial and final unstressed positions they take the role of the vowels.
When /m/ and /n/ appear in the same syllable, neither of them are syllabic i.e. the neutral vowel stands between them.
When the combination of the letters m and n appears in initial position the letter m is silent (mnemonic), and the letter n is silent in final position (autumn)

Question 2

Lateral approximant /l/

Answer 2

Formed by closing the breath passage partially and at the same time the breath escapes freely out of the mouth through one or both sides of the partial closure.

Question 3

Allophones of /l/

Answer 3

/l/ has three allophones:

1. VOICE, PALATALIZED, LATERAL L - produced by putting the tip of the tongue against the teeth ridge and by raising the front part of the tongue towards the hard palate. The vocal cords vibrate. Distributed in initial and prevocalic positions. (live, clear)
2. VOICED, VELARIZED, LATERAL L - produced by putting the tip of the tongue against the teeth ridge and by raising the back of the tongue towards the soft palate. Distributed in final and preconsonantal positions. (table, simple)
3. VOICELESS, ALVEOLAR, LATERAL L - produced by putting the tip of the tongue against the teeth ridge and by raising the front part of the tongue towards the hard palate. The vocal cords do not vibrate. Distributed after strongly aspirated /p/ and /k/ plosives. (plate, clay)

Question 4

Postalveolar /r/

Answer 4

It is produced by putting the tip of the tongue near the back of the teeth ridge at the same lowering the central part of the tongue. The breath stream escapes freely without friction. Distributed in initial and prevocalic position (great, river)

Question 5

Allophones of /r/

Answer 5

R has 5 allophones:

1. Postalveolar R (regular r)
2. Fricative R - always used after D (dream, drive)
3. Devoiced fricative R - without vibration of the vocal cords, after /p,t,k/ (price, try)
4. Semi-roll/alveolar tap R - the tongue makes a single tap on the back of the teeth ridge (carry, worry)
5. Lingual roll R - produced by rapid taps of the tip of the tongue on the back of the teeth ridge (rarely)