THE PLACES AND MANNERS OF ARTICULATION 1

The Places and Manners of Articulation

Muhammad Khalid Mehmood

Department of English Linguistic, The Islamia University Bahawalpur

ENG-33103-34272: Applied Linguistics

Dr. Saeed Ahmad

July 31, 2021

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Table of Contents

Comprehensive Note on The Places and Manners of Articulation................................3

Place of articulation....................................................................................................3

Bilabial.......................................................................................................................3

Labio-dental...............................................................................................................3

Dental.........................................................................................................................3

Alveolar......................................................................................................................3

Palato-alveolar............................................................................................................4

Retroflex.....................................................................................................................4

Palatal.........................................................................................................................4

Velar...........................................................................................................................4

Glottal.........................................................................................................................4

Manner of Articulation...................................................................................................5

What is Manner of Articulation?....................................................................................5

Stop or Plosive...........................................................................................................5

Fricative......................................................................................................................6

Affricate.....................................................................................................................7

Nasal...........................................................................................................................7

Liquid.........................................................................................................................8

Glide...........................................................................................................................8
The Places and Manners of Articulation 3

Comprehensive Note on The Places and Manners of Articulation

Place of articulation
the location at which two speech organs approach or come together in producing a speech
sound, as in the contact of the tongue and the teeth to form a dental sound.

(www.dictionary.com)

The 'Place of Articulation' is the point of contact, where an obstruction occurs in the
vocal tract between an active, moving articulator. Places of articulation means when we
produce sound, sometime our tongue touches our lips and sometime only our lips come
together and make sound, sometime our tongue touches our soft palate or back part alveolar
tongue. So, this touching of places our vocal tract of speech organs is call place of
articulation.

Bilabial

Bilabial means only two lips involve. When we produce this sounds, we only use both
of us lips. So, our both of lips helping to produce bilabial sounds. The English sounds [p], [b],
and [m] are the bilabial sounds. Example: man [m], spin [p], bed [b].

Labio-dental

The labio-dental sounds are articulated by using both the lower lip and the upper front
teeth. In bilabial sounds, we use both of our lips but in labio-dental, we use only our lower lip
and the upper front teeth to produce sounds. The English sounds [f] and [v] are the labio-
dental sounds. Example: van [v], fan [f].

Dental

To produce the dental sounds, our tongue must touch the upper teeth. The English
sounds [θ] and [ð] are the dental sounds. Example: thing [θ], this [ð].

Alveolar

To produce the alveolar sounds, our tongue has to go up and touch the alveolar ridge.
The area between the upper front teeth and the palate is alveolar ridge. The English sounds
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[t], [d], [n], [s], [z], [l] are the alveolar sounds. Example: stop [t], debt [d], run [n], suit [s],
zoo [z], loop[l].

Palato-alveolar

To produce the palato-alveolar sounds when we keep our tongue a bit deeper in the
mouth than alveolar. Our teeth then alveolar ridge and the next thing we are touching that is
palato-alveolar. Simply say that, when we are touching the palate between the palate and
alveolar ridge, we are producing palato-alveolar sounds. The English sounds [ʃ] and [ʒ] are
palato-alveolar sounds. Example: sheep [ʃ] and occasion [ʒ].

Retroflex

To produce the retroflex sounds, we must be curly with tongue up. In the English, [ɻʷ]
is the only retroflex sound. Example: red, ride, run, rope.

Palatal

The back part of the tongue goes and touches palate and produces palatal sounds. In
the English, [j] is the only palatal sound. Example: yet yes.

Velar

The back part of our tongue is going up and touching the soft palate is velar. The
English
sounds [k], [g], [ŋ] are velar sounds. Example: king [k], get [g], ring [ŋ].
Glottal

Glottal is the deepest place of articulation. In pharynx, we have glottis or epiglottis,

and this sounds is coming from that place. In the English, [h] is the only glottal sound.
Example: happy, hot, hit, hang, hug
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Manner of Articulation

Manner of Articulation The manner of articulation is the way the airstream is affected
as it flows from the lungs and out of the mouth and nose

What is Manner of Articulation?

Manner of Articulation is the “how” of making sounds. When learning our first
language, we don’t usually think about how we make the sounds we do. We just reproduce
what we’ve heard over the first few years of our lives. We make the sounds without thinking
how our mouth tongue, and teeth are doing, unless we need the additional support of speech
therapy.

Manner of articulation in second language learning is important, because

pronunciation doesn’t come as naturally as when learning our first language. It’s important to
know how sounds are made so that you can pronounce sounds correctly and speak more
clearly.Here we will talk about “manner of articulation”, or how we make sounds.There are
six different ways, or manners of articulation
Stop or Plosive

We build pressure of air and then release it. This is a sudden burst of air. Examples of
stops include: /p/ /b/ /t/ /d/ /k/ /g/ Look at stops in these words

Initial Sounds

/p/ – pig

/b/ – bag

/t/ – tall

/d/ – dad

/k/ kick

/g/ – girl
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Fricative

We stop part of the air so it can’t come through everywhere. It is a stream of air.
Imagine a river of water flowing. Then imagine putting a large rock in the center of the river.
The flow of the water would change because of the large rock, but the water would still flow
around it. This is a strong description of what a fricative sound is formed. There is a flowing
river of air, and you partially block it with your tongue, teeth, or lips.

Sounds include: /f/ /v/ /s/ /z/ /h/ /ʃ/ /ʒ/ /ð/ /θ/

Look at fricatives in these words.

Initial Sounds

/f/ – four

/v/ – van

/s/ – sun

/z/ – zip

/h/ – hello

/ʃ/ – ship

/ʒ/ – This sound does not occur at the beginning of words in English. It usually occurs
in the middle of English words. 

/ð/ – these

/θ/ – thin

Final Sounds

/f/ – half

/v/ – have
The Places and Manners of Articulation 7

/s/ – pass

/z/ – has

/h/ – This sound does not occur at the end of words in English. It occurs in the
beginning or middle of English words. 

/ʃ/ – wash

/ʒ/ – rouge – This sound at the final position is rare. It usually occurs in the middle of
English words. 

/ð/ – bathe

/θ/ – bath

Affricate

We combine stops and fricatives to form affricates. Examples include: /tʃ/ and /dʒ/.
Affricates start with a stop and then transitions into a fricative.

Initial Sounds

/tʃ/ – chip

/dʒ/ – just

Final Sounds

/tʃ/ – catch

/dʒ/ – badge

Nasal

We close our palate and let air stream through the nose. Examples include: /m/ /n/ /ŋ/

Initial Sounds
The Places and Manners of Articulation 8

/m/ – moon

/n/ – nap

/ŋ/ – This sound does not occur at the beginning of words in English.  

Liquid

We let air stream on the sides of our tongue. Examples include: /ɹ/ /l/

Initial Sounds

/ɹ/ – red

/l/ – light

Final Sounds

/ɹ/ – dear

/l/ – fill

Glide

We move our mouth constantly from a articulation to a vowel sound. Examples

include: /w/ and /j/

Initial Sounds

/w/ – win

/y/ – yellow

Final Sounds

/w/ – This sound does not usually occur at the end of a word in English. When you
see a w at the end of a word, it usually means you bring your lips together in a small circle
near the end of the vowel sound that comes before it, but the /w/ sound is not produced.
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/y/ – This sound does not usually occur at the end of a word in English.