Theme 1 Organs of Speech and their work.

Classification of consonants

. I - the mouth cavity – ротовая полость;

II - pharynx - глотка;

III - the nasal cavity - носовая полость;

IV - the glottal cavity – гортань; 1 - lower lip - нижняя губа;

2 – tongue: a - the tip - кончик языка;

б - the middle part - средняя часть языка;

в - the back part - задняя часть языка;

г – the root of the tongue– корень языка;

3 the soft palate - мягкое нёбо; д – front part -передняя часть;

е – back part - задняя часть;

4 small tongue – маленький язычок;

5 - the vocal cords – голосовые связки;

6 - the upper lip – верхняя губа;

7 – upper front teeth;

8 the alveolar ridge - альвеолярная дуга;

9 - the hard palate – твёрдое нёбо; ж –front part - передняя часть;

з средняя часть – middle part.

Active organs of speech are: Lips, all parts of the tongue, vocal cords, lower jaw, soft palate with a small tongue.

The sounds of speech

 Speech sounds are grouped into language units called phonemes. A phoneme may be thought of as the
smallest contrastive language unit which exists in the speech of all people belonging to the same language
community in the form of speech sounds and may bring about the change of meaning.
The phoneme is a functional unit. That means that being opposed to other phonemes in the same
phonetic context it is capable of differentiating the meaning.
The phoneme is realized in speech in the material form of speech sounds of different type. Various speech
realizations are called allophones
The organs of speech are capable of uttering many different kinds of sounds. From the practical point
of view it is convenient to distinguish two typed of speech sounds: vowels and consonants.

Principles of classification of consonants.

Consonants are made with air stream that meets no obstruction in the mouth or nasal cavities. Consonants
are the bones of a word and give it its basic shape. English accents differ mainly in vowels, the
consonants are more or less the same wherever English is spoken.
On the articulatory level all the consonants change:
1. In the degree of noise
2. In the manner of articulation
3. In the place of articulation
I The degree of noise.
According to the degree of noise English consonants are divided into two big classes: noise consonants
and sonorants.
Noise consonant sounds vary: (1) in the work f the vocal cords, (2) in the degree of force of articulation.
According to the work of the vocal cords they may be voiced and voiceless.
Voiced consonants are: [b, d, g, v, z, ð, ӡ, dӡ]
Voiceless consonants are: [p, t, k, f, s, ∫, t∫, θ]
Sonorants are made with tone prevailing over noise because of a rather wide air passage. They are: [m, n,
l, r, j, n]
II The manner of articulation.
According to the manner of articulation consonants may be of four groups:
1. Occlusive
2. Constrictive
3. Occlusive-constrictive (affricates)
4. Rolled
1 Occlusive consonants are sounds in the production of which the air stream meets a complete obstruction
in mouth. Occlusive noise consonants are called stops because the breath is completely stopped at some
point of articulation and then it is released with a slight explosion, that is why they are sometimes called
plosives. According to the work of the vocal cords stops may be voiced and voiceless. Occlusive voiced
consonants are [b, d, g] – voiceless [p, t, k]
2 Constrictive consonants are those in the production of which the air stream meets an incomplete
obstruction in the resonator, so the air passage is constricted. Constrictive noise consonants are also called
fricatives [f, v, s, z, h, , ð, ӡ, ∫, θ].
3 Occlsive-constricted consonants or affricates. There are only two of them in English – the voiced [, dӡ],
the voiceless [ t∫]
4 Rolled consonants are sounds pronounced with periodical momentary obstructions when the tip of the
tongue taps quickly several times against the teeth ridge and vibrates in the air stream. There are no rolled
sounds in English, it is the Russian sound [p]
III T he place of articulation
The place of articulation is determined by the active organ of speech against the point of articulation.
According to th position of the active organ of speech against the point of articulation consonants may be:
1. Labial
2. Lingual
3. Glottal
1 Labial consonants are made by the lips. They may be bilabial and labio-dental. Bilabial consonants are
produced with both lips active. They are: [p, b, m, w]; labio-dental consonants are articulated with the
lower lip against the edge of the upper teeth. They are: [f, v]
2 Lingual consonants are classified into forelingual, mediolingual and backlingual.
Forelingual consonants are articulated with the tip or the blade of the tongue. They differ in the position
of the tip of the tongue according to its work they may be: apical – if the tip of the tongue is active a in
the case of the English [t, d, z,s, n, l, θ, ӡ, ð, dӡ, ∫]; dorsal – if the front part of the tongue takes part in the
articulation, the tip being passive and lowered. There are no dorsal sounds in English (the Russian – t,
d,n,z, e.t.c.); cacuminal , if the tip of th tongue is at the back part of the teeth ridge, but the depression is
formed in the front part of the tongue a s in the case of the English [r]
According to the place of obstruction forelingual consonants may be: interdental, dental, alveolar, post-
alveolar, plato-alveolar.
Interdental consonants are made with the tip of the tongue projected between the teeth. [ð, θ].
Dental consonants are produced with the front part of the tongue against the upper teeth. (there are no
such sounds in englsh, they are Russian t, d, s, l, e,t,c,)
Alveolar consonants are articulated with the tip of the tongue against the upper teeth ridge.
Post-alveolar consonants are made when the tip or the front part of the tongue is against the back part of
the teeth ridge or just behind it. The English sound [r]
Plato-alveolar consonants are made with the tip of the front part of the tongue against the teeth ridge and
the front part of the tongue raised towards the hard palate, thus having two places of articulation. They are
the English [t∫, ∫, dӡ, ӡ]
Mediolingual consonants are produced with the front part of the tongue. They are always palatal. Palatal
consonants are made with the front part of the tongue raised high to the hard palate. [j]
Backlingual consonants are also called velar, because they are produced with the back part of the tongue
raised towards the soft palate. [ k, g, ŋ]
3 The glottal consonant [h] is articulated in the glottis. There are no glottal consonants in Russian.