The articulation of consonants

In order to articulate a consonant we should consider the following:

In

the human larynx there are two flaps of elastic, connective tissue know as vocal cords, which can open and close which produce the sound Consonants can be voiced or unvoiced (voiceless) i.e. a sound is voiced when the vocal cords are open and unvoiced when the vocal cords are close and the air which passes makes them vibrate.

Consonants are formed by interrupting, restricting or diverting the airflow in a variety of ways. There three ways of describing the consonant sounds:

The manner of articulation The place of articulation The force of articulation

The manner of articulation

It

refers to the interaction between the various articulators and the air stream; i.e. The air is temporally trapped and then released. The manners of articulation are:
PLOSIVE AFFRICATIVE FRICATIVE

NASAL

LATERAL

APPROXIMANT

MANNER OF ARTICULATION
PLOSIVE
AFFRICATIVE FRICATIVE NASAL LATERAL APPROXIMANT
A complete closure is made in the vocal tract and the soft palate is also raised. Air pressure increases behind the closure and is then released explosively, e.g. /p/ and /b/
A complete closure is made in the mouth and the soft palate is raised. Air pressure increases behind the closure, and is released more slowly than the plosive, e.g. /t/- // When two vocal organs come close enough together for the movement of air between them to be heard, e.g. /f/- /v/ A closure is made by the lips, or by the tongue against the palate, the soft palate is lowered, and air escapes through the nose, e.g. /m/- /n/ A partial closure is made by the blade of the tongue against the alveolar ridge. Air is able to flow around the sides of the tongue, e.g. /l/ Vocal organs come near to each other, but no so close as to cause audible friction , e.g. /r/- /w/

The following table summarizes the main movements of the various articulators

PLACE OF ARTICULATION
Bilabial
Using closing movement of both lips, e.g. /p/ /b/

Labio-dental
Dental

Using the lower lip and the upper teeth, e.g. /f//v/
The tongue tip is used either between the teeth or close to the upper teeth, e.g. /// The blade of the tongue is used close to the alveolar ridge, e.g. /t/- /s/. The blade ( or tip) of the tongue is used just behind the alveolar ridge, e.g. //-// The front of the tongue is raised close to the palate, e.g. /j/ The back of the tongue is used against the soft palate, e.g. /k/- // The gap between the vocal cords is used to make audible friction, e.g. /h/

Alveolar
Palato-alveolar

Palatal
Velar

Glottal

FORCE OF ARTICULATION
Fortis

or strong: it is related to unvoiced sounds, which require a more forcefully expelled airstream. Lenis or weak: it is related to be voiced sounds.
The

force of articulation is very difficult to define and measure

TABLE OF ENGLISH CONSONANTS

Place of Articulation
Front Back
Bilabial Plosive Affricative p b Labio- Dental dental Alveolar Palatoalveolar t d Palatal Velar k g Glotal

Manner of Articulation

Fricative
Nasal Lateral Approxi mant (w) m

s n l

Unvoiced phonemes are on shaded background. Voiced phonemes are normal