Seminar 3: English Phonology – Consonants

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to English phonology, focusing on consonants, their articulations, and phonetic variations.

Phonology

Looks at specific languages and investigates how sounds pattern in a language system

Investigates a speaker’s knowledge of sounds as a system of contrasts

We use slashes to enclose speakers’ mental representations of sounds: / /

Segmental phonology

studies speech sounds

Suprasegmental phonology (prosody)

studies units larger than speech sounds, e.g. syllables, words and intonation phrases

Units of sound structure and phonological rules in a particular language

the subject of phonology – are stored in speakers’ brains.

Because they are stored in the brain,

we can recognise these and produce them.

Phoneme

Mental representation of a specific speech sound; the smallest meaning-distinguishing unit in a language.

Phones

actual speech sounds speakers produce

Phones are only considered phonemes if they are in contrastive distribution, i.e. phonemes can change word meanings  minimal pair test [ ]

Allophone

Phones that are realizations of the same phoneme, normally in complementary distribution or in free variation.

• [pʰ] (aspirated) → pin [pʰɪn]

• [p] (unaspirated) → spin [spɪn]

They never occur in the same place → they are in complementary distribution.

The word cat can be said as:

• [kæt] (with a clear [t])

• [kæʔ] (with a glottal stop — like “caʔ”)

Both mean cat → they are in free variation.

Morpheme

The smallest meaning-bearing unit in a language, which can be a word or a part of a word such as a prefix or suffix.

The phones that function as phonemes in a language make up

its phoneme inventory

A phoneme inventory is the list of all the distinct sounds (phonemes) used in a particular language.
It shows which sounds that language uses to make meaningful differences between words.

Consonants:
/p, b, t, d, k, g, f, v, s, z, m, n, l, r, w, j/

Vowels:
/i, e, æ, ʌ, ɒ, u, ə, ɑː/

Example:

• /p/ in pen

• /b/ in ben
  (change in phoneme → change in meaning)

velarised

dark l ; the back of the tongue moves up toward the velum (soft part of the roof of your mouth) while making a sound.

/p,t,k,b,d,g/ → [p̚], [t̚ ], [k̚], [b̚], [d̚], [g̚]

No audible release/unreleased (or unreleased stop);

The closure is made, but the air is not released.this phenomenon is called "final-obstruent devoicing."

Before plosives and at the end of an utterance

e.g. Captain

• stop → [stɑp̚]

• bad → [bæd̚]

• back → [bæk̚]

/b,d,g,z,v,ð/ → [b̥], [d̥], [g̥], [z̥], [v̥], [ð̥]

→[b], [d], [g], [z], [v], [ð]

Next to voiceless sounds, before and after silence; voiceless (e.g. obtuse)

[+voice]_[+voice] [b̥] = partially devoiced /b/

Elsewhere [b] = fully voiced /b/

• At the beginning of a word, after a pause

  • bat → [b̥æt]
    (your vocal cords start vibrating a little late)

• Next to voiceless sounds

  • of course → [əv̥ kɔːs]

  • dogs bark → [dɔg̥z bɑːk]

• At the end of a word

  • love → [lʌv̥]

  • breathe → [bɹiːð̥]

➡ These sounds are still the same phonemes, but said with less voicing (vocal cords vibrate less).

/t,d/ → [ɾ]

• The symbol [ɾ] represents an alveolar tap or flap.

• It’s made by tapping the tongue quickly on the alveolar ridge (just behind your upper teeth).

• In English, this happens in certain positions, usually between vowels in unstressed syllables.

1. butter → [ˈbʌɾər]

2. ladder → [ˈlæɾər]

3. city → [ˈsɪɾi]

4. waiting → [ˈweɪɾɪŋ]

✅ Both /t/ and /d/ become [ɾ] in this context.

• It’s still the same phoneme — meaning doesn’t change.

• This is called flapping in American English.

/t/ → deleted

In unstressed syllable after /n/, e.g. winter (GA only)

e.g. winter

/l/ → [ɬ]

→ [l̥]

→ [l̪]

→ [l]

[ɫ] – Dark L / Velarised L

• Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge, back of tongue raised toward velum (soft palate).

• Happens after vowels or at the end of words.

• Example: full → [fʊɫ], milk → [mɪɫk]

2. [l̥] – Voiceless L

• Same as /l/ but vocal cords do not vibrate.

• Can happen next to voiceless consonants.

• Example: play → [p̥leɪ]

3. [l̪] – Dentalised L

• Tongue touches the upper teeth instead of the alveolar ridge.

• Common in Spanish or some English accents.

• Example: Spanish alto → [ˈal̪to]

4. [l] – Clear L / Light L

• Standard alveolar lateral approximant.

• Tongue tip at alveolar ridge, back of tongue down.

• Happens before vowels.

• Example: light → [laɪt]