LECTURE 6 - consonants

The place of articulation of a given consonant.

• Bilabial: Produced by the closure of both lips (e.g., /p/, /b/).

• Labiodental: Produced by the lower lip against the upper teeth (e.g., /f/, /v/).

• Interdental: Produced by the tongue between the teeth (e.g., /θ/, /ð/).

• Alveolar: Produced by the tongue on the alveolar ridge (e.g., /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/).

• Palato-Alveolar: Produced between the alveolar ridge and the hard palate (e.g., /ʃ/, /ʒ/).

• Palatal: Produced by the tongue on the hard palate (e.g., /j/).

• Velar: Produced by the back of the tongue against the velum (e.g., /k/, /g/).

• Glottal: Produced at the glottis, with no air flow (e.g., /h/ or glottal stops).

how are stops made?

• Definition: Stops are made by completely stopping airflow along the path from the larynx through the pharynx to the oral cavity.

• Velum: The velum is raised, closing off the nasal cavity.

• Burst: There is a "burst" of air when the constriction is released

how are fricatives made?

• Fricatives are made by narrowing the airflow to the point of creating turbulence along the larynx-pharynx-oral cavity path.

• Constriction: The degree of constriction is slightly less than that of a stop, and airflow is not completely cut off.

• Examples: /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/.

how are nasals made?

• Nasals are made by opening the velum (lowering it), allowing airflow through the nasal cavity while the oral cavity is blocked.

• Airflow: There is no airflow in the oral cavity, and the airflow goes through the nasal cavity.

• Resonance: The resonance occurs in the nasal cavity.

how are affricates made?

• Affricates are a combination of a stop followed by a fricative.

• Stop Phase: Airflow is stopped along the path.

• Release: The release of the closure is slower than a stop, resulting in a burst that is more fricative-like.

• Examples: /ʧ/ (as in "ch"), /ʤ/ (as in "judge").

what is important about approximants?

1. they are considered semi-vowels

2. They are similar to vowels because of clear formant structure.

3. the only difference between approximants and actual vowels are the timing

anti-resonance?

the vocal tract's shape and configuration cause certain frequencies to be attenuated or absorbed, rather than amplified. This creates a sound with a "hollow" or "muffled" quality, as certain frequencies are dampened. this happens to nasals

laminar flow vs turbulent flow

laminar - consistent air flow

turbulent - spraying of air - fricatves have turbulent flow

what is there to know about fricatives

• Made by restricting airflow to create turbulence.

• Sibilance: A type of fricative with higher amplitude, often used to attract attention.

• Spectrogram: Fricatives show a flat energy source and random patterns across different frequencies.

• Voiced vs. Voiceless: Voiced fricatives involve airflow from vibration, while voiceless ones do not.

What is there to know about plosives?

• Closure Phase: The vocal tract is closed, and pressure builds up.

• Release Phase: The closure is released, and a burst of air follows.

• Aspiration: A small burst of turbulent airflow that may be present after the release (e.g., [pʰ] in "pat").

VOT and the types of VOT

the timing between the opening of the vocal folds and voicing

• Negative VOT: Voicing occurs before the release of the plosive.

• Zero VOT: Voicing occurs at the moment of release.

• Positive VOT: Voicing occurs after the release.

The difference between voiced and voiceless plosives based on VOT.

• Voiced plosives: VOT is zero or negative; voicing begins either at or just before the release of the plosive (e.g., /b/, /d/, /g/).

• Voiceless plosives: VOT is positive; voicing starts after the release of the plosive (e.g., /p/, /t/, /k/).

What are the processes involved in producing fricatives?

Turbulent flow: Fast airflow through a narrow constriction, causing friction against the walls of the vocal tract, creating unpredictable patterns of sound, which results in the characteristic "hissing" or "shushing" sounds of fricatives (e.g., /s/, /f/, /z/).

What are the duration differences between approximants and vowels and their vowel-like quality?

• Approximants: Shorter in duration than vowels. They are vowel-like in their acoustics but phonologically function as consonants.

• Vowel-like quality: Approximants (e.g., /w/, /r/, /j/, /l/) resemble vowels because they allow for continuous airflow with little constriction. They are called semi-vowels or semi-consonants.

What are the characteristics of nasals and how do they compare to vowels?

• Characteristics of nasals: Nasals (e.g., /m/, /n/, /ŋ/) are produced by lowering the velum to allow airflow through the nasal cavity.

• Similarity with vowels: Nasals have a resonance pattern similar to vowels, which is why they are acoustically close to vowel sounds. They are also produced with continuous airflow but involve anti-resonance (attenuated frequencies) due to the closed oral cavity.

What are the production phases of plosives?

• Closure: The vocal tract is completely closed, blocking airflow.

• Release: The closure is released, and a burst of air escapes.

• Aspiration (optional): A brief period of turbulent airflow following the release, especially in voiceless plosives like /p/, /t/, and /k/ (e.g., in "pat").