Chapter 3: The Sounds of English. Consonants and Vowels.

An Articu-latory
Classification and Description. Acoustic Correlates
3.1. Consonants and Vowels. Traditional distinctions. Chomsky and
Halle’s SPE definition
3.2. Criteria for consonant classification. Vocal cord vibration. Sonority
3.3. Manner of articulation. Plosives. Fricatives. Affricates
3.4. Sonorants. The Approximants: glides and liquids
3.5. Oral and nasal articulation
3.6. Force of articulation
3.7. Place of articulation
3.8. The Description of English consonants
A. The Approximants
B. The English Stops
C. The English Fricatives
D. The English Affricates

3.5. Oral and nasal articulation

A different criterion that can be used to distinguish among sounds is the position
of the velum or soft palate (see in Chapter 2 above the description of the main articulatory
organs). If the velum is lowered, thus allowing the air to escape through the nasal cavity,
we are dealing with a nasal sound. If it is raised, blocking the nasal cavity and letting the
air out through the oral cavity (the mouth) the sound is called oral. English nasal
consonants are stops as the airstream is completely blocked when these consonants are
uttered, but they are not considered plosive sounds as their release stage differs from that
of oral stops. Nasal sounds are sonorants and of all the members of this class they display
the lowest degree of sonority. As far as English vowels are concerned, nasality is a
contextual feature as we are going to see later.