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Consonant Classification

Consonants differ according to their:

A. Place of Articulation
Bilabial - uses both lips to create the sound
Labiodental - uses the lower lip and upper teeth
Dental - creates sound between the teeth
Alveolar - is a sound created with the tongue and the ridge behind the
upper teeth
Palatal - uses the tongue and the hard palate
Velar - makes the sound using the soft palate in the back of the mouth
Glottal- is a sound made in the throat between the vocal cords
B. Manner of Articulation
The manner of articulation means how the sound is made using the
different places of articulation, tongue placement.
Stops - air coming from the lungs is suddenly stopped at some point
during the formation of the sound
Fricatives - the vocal channel is tight, and restricted air flow causes
friction but the air flow isn't completely stopped
Affricates - are combinations of stops and fricatives
Nasals - as expected, the air is stopped from going through the mouth
and is redirected into the nose
Liquids/laterals - almost no air is stopped, but it flows alongside the
tongue
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Semi-vowels/semi-consonants - the air passes through the articulators

to create vowel-like sounds (there is no obstruction to the flow of air
which comes out freely through the mouth, as vowels do). But, because
they always occur near a vowel (as consonants do), they are considered
consonant-like sounds as well.
Place→ Bilabial labio-dental Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal

Manner -v +v -v +v -v +v -v +v -v +v -v +v -v +v

↓
Plosives P b t d k g
Fricatives f v Ɵ ð s z ʃ ʒ h
Affricates ʧ ʤ
Nasals m n ŋ
Liquids l,r
Semi- w j
vowels

-v = voiceless (pronounced with greater muscular energy and stronger

breath effort) - Rom. “Consoane surde”

+v = voiced (the force of articulation requires less energy) - Rom.

“consoane sonore”

16 sounds form 8 correlative pairs called homo-organic in the table

above: (p,b), (t,d), (k, g).... What separates them is this distinction, -v /
+v:

Voiceless (-v) Voiced (+v)

p b
t d
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k g
f v
Ɵ ð
s z
ʃ ʒ
ʧ ʤ

Any other (unpaired) consonant is voiced, except for /h/, which is

voiceless.

The place of articulation and the manner of articulation are called

distinctive features, because they distinguish one consonant from
another.

You do not have to memorize all these names (bilabial, affricates etc.),

BUT
It is important that you learn by heart which consonants are voiced
and which are voiceless.