AEN 200 : Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

E-Lecture 1V

3. Introduction
Our fourth lecture in the AEN 200 series is on place and manner of articulation as parameters

for describing consonant sounds. We first identify and describe the places and manners of

articulation before exemplifying the sounds in each category.

4.1 Lecture Objectives

By the end of this lecture, students should be able to:

4.1.1 Name and describe the places of articulation of consonant sounds

4.1.2 Name and describe the manners of articulation of consonant sounds

The Production of Consonant Sounds: Place of Articulation

E-tivity 4.1: Place of Articulation
Title
Place of Articulation
Purpose To enable you describe the production of
consonant sounds in terms of the places where
they are articulated.
Brief summary of overall task Identifying and describing the places of
articulation
Spark What is place of articulation?

Individual task
(a) Define place of articulation
(b) Name the places of articulation
(c) Describe each place of articulation
(d) Give examples of sounds produced at
each place of articulation

Interaction begins Articulate the sounds /p/, /b/, /t/, /l/, /r/ , /ʃ/ etc
E-moderator interventions 1. Direct and help students to focus on
the content

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Aen 200 Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology notes by Dr Evelyn Simiyu Machakos University
 2. Help students generate new ideas on
the topic
3. Provide feedback
4. Close the e-tivity
Schedule and time This –etivity should take 60 minutes on 25th
May 2020
Next The production of consonant sounds: manner
of articulation

Our discussion above should help you take note of the following primary places of articulation:
1. Bilabial – sounds that are made with two lips

We articulate (p), (b) and (m) by bringing both lips together. These sounds are therefore called

bilabials.

2. Labio-dental- made with the lower lip against the upper teeth- e.g. (f) and (V) as in ‘five’

and ‘vine’. To produce these sounds we articulate by touching the bottom lip to the upper teeth

NOTE: ‘Labio’ refers to lips and dental to teeth.

3. Dental- also referred to as Inter- dental sounds (between the teeth) are produced by inserting

the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower teeth. These are such sounds as [Ɵ] and [ð]

as thin and those respectively

4. Alveolar- The tip of the tongue is raised to the bony tooth ridge which is called the alveolar

ridge to articulate [(d],[n ],[t ],[s ],or [z]. These are called alveolar sounds.

5. Velar- This class of sounds is produced by raising the back of the tongue to the soft palate

or velum. They are called velar sounds. These are like [k], [g]

6. Palatals -The front part of the tongue is raised to a point on the hard palate just behind the

alveolar ridge. Examples of these are the voiced sounds as in ‘treasure” and sounds as in

“measure”.

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Aen 200 Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology notes by Dr Evelyn Simiyu Machakos University
 7. Glottal - A glottal sound is produced by the vocal cords being brought momentarily

together. E.g. [h]

The Production of Consonant Sounds: Manner of Articulation

E-tivity 4.2: Place of Articulation
Title
Manner of Articulation
Purpose To enable you describe the production of
consonant sounds in terms of the manner in
which each sound is produced
Brief summary of overall task Identifying and describing the places and
manners of articulation
Spark What is manner of articulation?

Individual task
(a) Define manner of articulation
(b) Name the manners of articulation
(c) Describe each manner of articulation
(d) Give examples of sounds produced with
each manner of articulation

Interaction begins Produce the sounds /p/, /r/, /l/ /m/ and explain
what happens during their production
E-moderator interventions 5. Direct and help students to focus on
the content
6. Help students generate new ideas on
the topic
7. Provide feedback
8. Close the e-tivity
Schedule and time This –etivity should take 60 minutes on –25th
May 2020

Next The production of vowel sounds

You should take note of the following manners of articulation from our discussion above:
Manner of Articulation

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Aen 200 Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology notes by Dr Evelyn Simiyu Machakos University
 Articulation can be accomplished in several ways, for example in the production of one

sound segment, the articulation (the organs involved in articulation) may completely

shut off the vocal tract causing a complete blockage. In the production of another

sound, the articulators may partially shut off the vocal tract resulting in a ‘narrow’

passage through which air may escape. Manner of articulation is the term used to refer

to the various ways in which the speech production organs form a channel through

which the airstream in the vocal tract is interfered with during the production of a

consonant.

1. Stops/ Plosives- Production of these sounds involves first a complete closure of the vocal

tract organs involved. This momentarily blocks the airstream preventing the air in the vocal

tract from escaping. Consequently pressure builds up behind the closure as the air in the

vocal tract continues flowing. When the articulators separate abruptly, the pressure that had

built up suddenly bursts into an ‘explosion’. The sounds produced in this manner are called

plosives or stops. Examples are;

- Dental stops- [t], [d]

- Uvular stops [q], [g]

- The glottal stop [?]

- Bilabial stops [p], [b]

2. Fricatives- the production of fricatives involves the articulators coming very close together

leaving a very narrow passage through which the air must squeeze itself to get out. While

escaping this air produces some audible friction sound. Since the airstream is partially

obstructed and causes turbulence as it tries to escape, the sounds produced in this manner

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Aen 200 Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology notes by Dr Evelyn Simiyu Machakos University
 are called fricatives. All fricative sounds are produced with a stricture of close

approximation. Examples:

- [f]- fan, [v]-van, [s] -mess, [ʃ] -mesh, [Ɵ] -thin, [ð]- that

Other examples include:

- Bilabial fricatives –[ɸ] as in Japanese ɸwne ‘ship’ and

Luyia [ß] aßana- children

- Retroflex fricative [s], [z]

- Velar fricative [x] Spanish ‘roxo’

- Glottal fricative [h]

3. Affricates- In the production of affricates, first the articulators come together and

completely cut off the flow of air into or from the vocal tract just as they do in the

production of a stop. Then they gradually separate and as the air is released through a

narrow passage, it causes some little but audible friction sound. Phonetically an affricate is

a sequence of a stop and a fricative= affricate. Examples:

- [ʧ] teach

- [ʤ]

- [dz]

4. Laterals- to produce a lateral, there must be an incomplete closure in one of the two

articulators. For example; in the production of [l] as in lead, the air is obstructed by the

tongue at a point along the centre of the mouth but the sides of the tongue are left and air

is allowed to escape on the sides of the tongue. Notice that the tongue feels colder on the

sides that are not in contact with the roof of the mouth. This is an indication that air escapes

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Aen 200 Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology notes by Dr Evelyn Simiyu Machakos University
 along these sides. This kind of structure is referred to as intermittent structure. An example

in English is the sound [l]

5. Trills and Taps- in the production of a trill, one articulator is held loosely near the other

and the flow of air and the flow of air between the two articulators causes repeated

vibration. An example in English is [r].

Unlike trills which are caused by repeated movements (intermittent closure-

starting and stopping over a certain period of time) or one articulator over

another, taps, also known as flaps are caused by a single minute striking

movement of one articulator over another. An example of a flap is found in

Spanish [peTo]- ‘but’. Other trills are:

- Bilabial trill

- Alveolar trill [r]

- Uvular trill [R]

Taps

- Alveolar tap

- Retroflex tap

Trill and taps involve neither the stricture of closure as in stops nor that of close

approximation as fricatives.

Note: Some authors use the term LIQUID to refer to [r] and [l].

6. Approximants- in the production of an approximant, the articulators are close to one

another but not very close to such an extent that a turbulent airstream is produced. The

degree of ‘narrowness’ between the two articulators is reasonable enough to allow the air

to flow rather freely out of the vocal tract. For example in the production of [j], the tongue

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Aen 200 Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology notes by Dr Evelyn Simiyu Machakos University
 and the hard palate are close to each other but they form an open approximation stricture,

which makes it possible for air to escape through this stricture without causing an audible

friction sound. Another approximant is the Velar approximant- [w]

Another term for approximants is semi-vowel. This is because, like vowels, these sounds are

produced with a stricture of open approximation.

Conclusion

The place and manner of the production of a sound is what determines the sound type that one

produces.

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Aen 200 Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology notes by Dr Evelyn Simiyu Machakos University