air flow is directly related to loudness

air flow configurations

• oral: air coming primarily through mouth (a, e)

• nasal: velic port is open and mouth is closed. air is just coming out nose (m, n)

• nasalized: velic port and mouth open. air flows through both mouth and nose

air flow is critical for understanding articulation (VPM)

• voicing: action of air flow at larynx

  • larynx composed of several cartilages

    • thyroid, artenoid, hyoid

  • vowels are always voiced, consonants can be voiced or voiceless

• place: action of air flow at velic tract

  • x-axis on IPA chart

  • bilabial: both lips (p, b)

  • labiodental: lower lip and upper teeth (f, v)

  • dental: tongue tip touches front teeth (t)

  • alveolar: tongue tip touches alveolar ridge

  • post-alveolar: tongue body is curved back to touch rear of alveolar ridge

    • retroflexion: underside of tongue is facing hard palate

  • palatal: body of tongue, not tip (yellow)

  • velar: dorsum of tongue raises to make contact at soft palate (k, g)

  • uvular: dorsum of tongue raiss to make contact at uvula (q)

  • pharyngeal: tongue root retracts toward the oropharynx ®

  • glottal: vocal folds at larynx (british ‘bottle’)

• manner: how airflow at vocal tract is manipulated

  • y axis on IPA chart

  • stops / plosives: moving articulator makes a temporary seal of airflow. released to make sound

  • fricatives: narrow constricting of air flow in oral cavity. air flow becomes turbulent

  • approximates: mildly impedes airflow, but not enough to create turbulence (r, j, w)

    • central approximate: tongue remains in normal axis

    • lateral: sides of the tongue (lamina) fold in

      • [l] loop. light l

      • [ɬ] pool. dark l