IPA and Consonants Overview

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the International Phonetic Alphabet and its components.

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

A system for transcribing the sounds of spoken language.

Bilabial

Consonants articulated with both lips, e.g., /p/, /b/.

Alveolar

Consonants produced with the tongue against the alveolar ridge, e.g., /t/, /d/.

Fricative

Consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel, creating turbulence, e.g., /f/, /v/.

Glottal

Sounds produced at the glottis, e.g., /h/ and the glottal stop /ʔ/.

Affricate

A consonant that begins as a stop and releases as a fricative, e.g., /t͡ʃ/, /d͡ʒ/.

Minimal Pairs

Pairs of words that differ by only one sound, used to demonstrate phoneme distinctions, e.g., /p/ vs /b/.

Voiced Consonants

Consonants that involve vibration of the vocal cords, e.g., /b/, /d/, /g/.

Diacritics

Marks added to letters to indicate modifications in pronunciation.

Diphthongs

Complex vowel sounds that begin with one vowel sound and glide into another within the same syllable, e.g., /aɪ/, /aʊ/.

Nasal Release

A release of a consonant through the nasal cavity, e.g., in nasal sounds like /m/, /n/, /ŋ/.

Syllable Stress

Emphasis placed on certain syllables in words during pronunciation, marked by a ˈ before the stressed syllable.