IPA and Consonants Overview

Phonetics Study Notes

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) 2005

Consonants

  • Bilabial: Sounds produced with both lips; includes plosives, nasals, fricatives, and approximants.

    • Plosive: /p/, /b/

    • Nasal: /m/

  • Labiodental: Sounds produced with the lower lip against the upper teeth.

    • Fricative: /f/, /v/

  • Dental: Sounds produced with the tongue against the upper teeth.

    • Fricative: /θ/ (voiceless), /ð/ (voiced)

  • Alveolar: Sounds produced with the tongue against the alveolar ridge.

    • Plosive: /t/, /d/

    • Nasal: /n/

    • Fricative: /s/, /z/

    • Lateral: /l/

    • Rhotic: /ɹ/

  • Palatal: Sounds produced with the body of the tongue against the hard palate.

    • Fricative: /ʃ/, /ʒ/

    • Affricate: /t͡ʃ/, /d͡ʒ/

  • Velar: Sounds produced with the back of the tongue against the soft palate.

    • Plosive: /k/, /g/

    • Nasal: /ŋ/

  • Uvular: Sounds produced with the back of the tongue against the uvula.

  • Pharyngeal: Sounds produced with the constriction of the pharynx.

  • Glottal: Sounds produced in the glottis (the space between the vocal cords).

    • Fricative: /h/

Co-articulated Sounds

  • Affricates and Double Articulations: May be joined by a tie bar.

Suprasegmentals

  • Tone: Refers to pitch levels.

    • Primary Stress: Marked with ˈ before stressed syllables.

    • Secondary Stress: Denoted in transcriptions.

  • Intonation: The rise and fall of pitch in speech.

  • Syllable and Speech Breaks: Differentiated as minor (foot) and major (intonation) breaks.

Vowels

Vowel Chart

  • Vowel positioning based on tongue position in mouth:

    • Front: /i/ (see), /ɪ/ (sit)

    • Central: /ɚ/ (teacher)

    • Back: /u/ (two), /o/ (go)

    • Diphthongs (two vowel glides):

    • /aɪ/ = eye, my

    • /aʊ/ = now, house

    • /ɔɪ/ = boy

  • Vowel Length: Long vowels are indicated by a colon (e.g., /i:/).

Vowel Sounds and Examples

  • High Vowels: /i/ vs /u/

  • Mid Vowels: /e/, /ə/, /o/

    • Short Vowel: e.g., /æ/ in cat

    • Long Vowel: e.g., /ɔː/ in saw

  • Low Vowels: /æ/, /ɑ/

Consonant Reference Table (Quick Cheat)

Place

Manner

Voiceless

Voiced

Example

Bilabial

Stop

/p/

/b/

pat / bat

Alveolar

Stop

/t/

/d/

tap / dog

Velar

Stop

/k/

/g/

cat / go

Labiodental

Fricative

/f/

/v/

fan / van

Dental

Fricative

/θ/

/ð/

thin / this

Alveolar

Fricative

/s/

/z/

sip / zip

Palatal

Fricative

/ʃ/

/ʒ/

shoe / measure

Alveolar

Affricate

/t͡ʃ/

/d͡ʒ/

chip / judge

Nasal

—

/m/

/n/, /ŋ/

man / no / sing

Glide

—

/w/, /j/

—

we / yes

Lateral

—

/l/

—

love

Rhotic

—

—

/ɹ/

red

Glottal

Fricative

/h/

—

hat

Minimal Pair Practice

  • Example Words:

    • /p/ vs /b/: pat / bat

    • /t/ vs /d/: ten / den

    • /s/ vs /z/: sip / zip

    • /f/ vs /v/: fan / van

    • /θ/ vs /ð/: thin / then

Sentence Transcription Practice

  1. Listen for connected speech effects (elision, assimilation, linking /r/).

  2. Mark primary stress with a small ˈ before the stressed syllable.

  3. Transcribe every sound, not the spelling.

Example Sentences

  • “She went to the store.” → /ʃi wɛnt tə ðə stɔɹ/

    • Notes: /tə/ = unstressed schwa

  • “What are you doing?” → /wʌɾ ɚ ju ˈduɪŋ/

    • Notes: /ɾ/ = flap for ‘t’ in American speech

  • “I can’t believe it.” → /aɪ kænt bəˈliv ɪt/

    • Notes: stress on believe

  • “Do you want some coffee?” → /du jə wɑnt sʌm ˈkɔfi/

    • Notes: /jə/ = reduced “you”

Anatomy Connection (CDA Link)

  • Articulator:

    • Lips (Orbicularis Oris): Bilabial sounds, e.g., /p/, /b/, /m/

    • Teeth: Dental fricatives, e.g., /θ/, /ð/

    • Alveolar Ridge: Tongue-tip contact for /t/, /d/, /n/, /s/, /z/, /l/

    • Hard Palate: Palatal sounds, e.g., /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /j/

    • Soft Palate (Velum): Velar closure for stops & nasals, e.g., /k/, /g/, /ŋ/

    • Glottis (Vocal Folds): Controls voicing, e.g., /h/, /ʔ/.