Phonetics: Consonants (Week 7)

how do consonants and vowels differ?

- consonants can't exist on their own.

- consonants can be voiced and voiceless.

• articulates based on place, manner, voice

• entire vocal tract

• shorter duration

• lesser intensity

- vowels are mostly all voiced.

- vowels are never fully constricted.

• articulates at front, central, back, high, mid, low

• at vocal folds

• longer duration

• greater intensity

• can stand alone

/p/

- pork

- BILABIAL, STOP

/b/

- bat

- BILABIAL, STOP

/t/

- tick

- ALVEOLAR, STOP

/d/

- dog

- ALVEOLAR, STOP

/k/

- king

- VELAR, STOP

/g/

- go

- VELAR, STOP

/m/

- mom

- BILABIAL, NASAL

/n/

- name

- ALVEOLAR, NASAL

when the preceeding consonant is an alveolar, the /n/ becomes the syllabic nucleus—> “lesson""

/ŋ/

- ring

- VELAR, NASAL

/f/

- for

- LABIODENTAL, FRICATIVE

/v/

- vote

- LABIODENTAL, FRICATIVE

/θ/

- think

- voiceless (abducted)

- DENTAL, FRICATIVE

/ð/

- them

- voiced (adducted)

- DENTAL, FRICATIVE

/s/

- say

- ALVEOLAR, FRICATIVE

/z/

- zoo

- ALVEOLAR, FRICATIVE

/ʃ/

- ship, sure, national

- PALATAL, FRICTAIVE

/ʒ/

- beige, measure

- PALATAL, FRICATIVE

/h/

- hen

- GLOTTAL, STOP

/tʃ/

- chew

- PALATAL, AFFRICATE

/dʒ/

- judge, age, soldier

- PALATAL, AFFRICATE

/w/

- wise

- BILABIAL/VELAR, GLIDE

/j/

- yet, yellow

- PALATAL, GLIDE

/ɹ/

- row

- PALATAL, LIQUID

/l/

- let

- ALVEOLAR, LIQUID

what are three consonant positions in relation to word structure?

- initial (MEATBALL: /mitbɔl/)

- medial/word-within (MEATBALL: /mitbɔl/)

- final (MEATBALL: /mitbɔl/)

Sonorants/resonants

produced with relatively open airflow and little to no turbulent noise

• produced w resonance throughout the entire vt

• nasals

• liquids

• glides

air flows smoothly thorugh the vt, typically voiced, more vowel-like in resonance

obstruents/nonresonant

consonants produced w significant obstruction of airflow, creating turbulence/complete closure

• produced w turbulence at the point of constriction

• stop fricative

• affricate

Noticeable air pressure build-up/friction, can be voiced/voiceless, less resonant than sonorants

what are the three describing features of consonants?

- place: point of constriction in vocal tract for consonant production.

- manner: how the airstream is modified as it passes through the vocal tract.

--- type and degree of constriction.

--- partial to complete blockage of airflow.

- voicing: whether sound is produced with/without vocal fold vibraton.

upper + lower lips can be characterized as what place?

- bilabial consonants

- /p, b, m, w/

- /p/ & /b/ are cognates

lower lip + upper central incisors can be characterized as what place?

- labiodental consonants

- /f, v/

- /f/ & /v/ are cognates

tongue apex + teeth can be characterized as what place?

- Interdental consonants

- /θ, ð/

- /θ/ & /ð/ are cognates

tongue apex + alveolar ridge can be characterized as what place?

- alveolar consonants

- /t, d, n, s, z, l/

- /t/ & /d/ are cognates

- /s/ & /z/ are cognates

tongue blade + hard palate can be characterized as what place?

- palatal consonants

- /j, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ, ɹ/

- /ʃ/ & /ʒ/ are cognates

- /tʃ/ & /dʒ/ are cognates

back of tongue + velum can be characterized as what place?

- velar consonants

- /k, g, ŋ/

vocal folds can be characterized as what place?

- glottal consonants

- /h, ʔ/

- /ʔ/ is an allophone of /t/

what are the stop-plosives (manner)?

- /p, b, t, d, k, g, ʔ/

- produced with complete occlusion of airflow

- requires closure in the oral cavity + velopharyngeal port.

- classified as an obstruent.

- occurs rapidly.

- results in high intraoral pressure from impeded airstream followed by burst of air when stop is released.

what is an alveolar flap (or tap)?

- /ɾ/

- allophones /t, d/

- occurs in connected speech for /t, d/ in intervocalic position when first syllable is stressed.

- rapid touch of tongue tip to alveolar ridge.

-- EX:

batter /ˈbæɾɚ/

shutter /ˈʃʌɾɚ/

water /ˈwɑɾɚ/

what is a glottal stop?

- /ʔ/

- allophone of /t/

- common in british english.

- commonly seen for /nt/ or /t/ when followed by /n/

-- EX: kitten /ˈkɪʔn̩/ OR button /ˈbʌʔn̩̩/

what are fricatives (manner)?

- /f, v, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/

- produced by forcing the airstream through narrow constriction.

- continuous airflow through narrow channel causes audible turbulence.

- /ʃ/ & /ʒ/ are cognates.

what are cognates in terms of phonetics?

- same place and manner of a phoneme.

what are affricates (manner)?

- /tʃ, dʒ/

- complete constriction of airflow followed by gradual release of airflow through narrow constriction.

- combination of stop + fricative manner produced as a continuous phonemes.

- does NOT equal two consonants.

what are nasals (manner)?

- /m, n, ŋ/

- air passes through nasal cavity and obstructed from oral cavity.

- obstruction at bilabial/alveolar/velar place.

- vp port is OPEN to allow air to resonate in nasal cavity.

- all nasals are voiced.

- can be syllabic.

what are syllabic consonants?

- VC, unstressed syllable, occurs in words with two syllables.

- in certain contexts, /m, n, l/ become the nucleus of the syllable.

- occurs when there is no fully articulated vowel in the syllable.

- marked with a diacritic (tick mark) under each phoneme (e.g., /n̩/)

- commonly seen when adjacent consonant is homorganic (i.e., produced in same place as /n, l, m/) but not always.

what is special about ENG /ŋ/?

- never begins a word & is only inter- or post-vocalic.

- used in clusters that contain /k/ (e.g., “nk” “nx”)

-- EX: ink /ɪŋk/ & sphynx /sfɪŋks/.

- in single syllable words that end in “ng,” only use /ŋ/

-- EX: ring /ɹɪŋ/.

- in two-syllable words with word-within “ng,” the /ŋg/ consonant sequences is used

- -EX: singer /sɪŋgɚ/.

what eng /ŋ/ is used in clusters that contain /k/?

- (e.g., “nk” “nx”)

-- EX: ink /ɪŋk/ & sphynx /sfɪŋks/

what eng /ŋ/ is used in single syllable words that end in “ng"?

- only use /ŋ/

-- EX: ring /ɹɪŋ/.

what eng /ŋ/ is used in two-syllable words with word-within “ng"?

- the /ŋg/ consonant sequences is used

-- EX: singer /sɪŋgɚ/.

what are glides?

- /w, j/

- gliding movement of articulators from constricted to a more open position

- always pre-vocalic (NEVER in coda position)

• /j/ produced from /i/ transitioning to other vowel.

• /w/ produced from /u/ transitioning to other vowel.

what is a light /l/?

- it is pre-vocalic (tongue tip is raised towards alveolar ridge)

- "lip," "like," "clown"

what is a dark /l/?

- it is post-vocalic (tongue is lowered and back of tongue raised towards palate after back vowels)

- "coal," "fool"

what is a syllabic /l/?

- often occurs in post-vocalic position

- "bubble," "candle"

- think "ul"

the morpheme is ___ if the final C of the root is ___?

- voiceless

- voiceless

-- "tops" & "kicked"

the morpheme is ___ if the final C of the root words is ___?

- voiced

- voiced

-- "dogs" & "bagged"

Consonant

A speech sound produced with significant constriction/complete closure of the airflow somewhere in the vocal tract

Prevocalic

before a vowel

postvocalic

after a vowel

intervocalic

between two vowels

/d/

for verbs that end in a voiced sound —> hugged

/t/

for verbs that end in a voiceless sound—> hike/hiked

liquids

airstream is obstructed, but not so much as to either stop it or create friction

nasal

resonance occurs throughout the vocal tract during their production

glides

• involving a gliding movement

• shorter in duration than a dipthong

• always prevocalic

[ɹ]

• when [ɹ] comes before a vowel it is a consonant—> rat

• after a vowel, may become a vowel —> her

• but may be a consonant if preceded by an r-colored vowel —> hair