1.MEANING OF CONSONANT CLUSTER AND EXAMPLE.

Consonant clusters are groups of two or more consonants. A consonant cluster can appear at
the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word.
Ex: BI = Blend, bland, blue, black, blanket
CI = Click, clam, clean, claim, class
Cr = Crab, crumb, crib, cry, crank
Dr = Draw, dream, drain, dress, drone

2.DEFINITION OF VOWELS AND ITS CLASSIFICATION.

A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract.Vowels
are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels
vary in quality, in loudness and also in quantity (length). They are usually voiced and are closely
involved in prosodic variation such as tone, intonation and stress.
OR
The word vowel comes from the Latin word vocalis, meaning "vocal" (i.e. relating to the voice).
[2] In English, the word vowel is commonly used to refer both to vowel sounds and to the written
symbols that represent them (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y).

Classification of vowels are as follow:-

All English vowels are divided into 3 groups: monophthongs, diphthongs, diphthongoids.

Monophthongs are vowels the articulation of which is almost unchanging.

They are – [i e ǽ a: o o: U Λ ə: ə ].

In the pronunciation of diphthongs the organs of speech glide from one vowel position to
another within one syllable. The starting point, the nucleus, is strong and distinct.
They are – [ei ai oi au əu iə εə uə]

In the pronunciation of diphthongoids the articulation is slightly changing but the difference
between the starting point and the end is not so distinct as it is in the case of diphthongs.
They are – [i: u:]

3.DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VOWELS AND CONSONANTS.

BASICS CONSONANT VOVELS

Definition Vowels are basic speech Consonants are basic speech sounds
sounds articulated with an articulated with apartially or completely
open vocal tract. closed vocal tract.

Sound Produced The vowel sound is not The consonant sound is disturbed by teeth,
disturbed by teeth, tongue tongue lips, etc. since the vocal tract is not
or mouth since the vocal completely open.
 tract is completely open.

Number of Letters There are 5 vowel letters. There are 21 consonant letters.

Number of Sounds There are about 20 vowel There are about 24 consonant sounds in
sounds in English. English.

Syllable Syllable Consonants have to be linked with a vowel

Vowels are the nucleus of to form a syllable.
a syllable.

4. MEANING OF ACTIVE ARTICULATOR AND PASSIVE ARTICULATOR AND IT'S TYPES

(VOICE AND VOICELESS).
A passive articulator is the articulator that makes little or no movementduring a speech gesture.
The active articulator moves towards the relativelyimmobile passive articulator. Passive
articulators are often directly connectedto the skull. Passive articulators include:
● the upper lip
● the teeth
● the alveolar ridge
● the palate
● the velum
● the pharynx…..
An active articulator is the articulator that does all or most of themoving during a speech
production. These active articulators areattached to the jaw which is relatively free to move
when compared toparts of the vocal tract connected directly to the greater mass of theskull.
Active articulators are :
● lower lip.
● the tongue
● the uvula
● the glottis (larynx).

5.MEANING OF SYLLABLE AND ITS EXAMPLE.?

A syllable is a part of a word that contains a single vowel sound and that is pronounced as a
unit. So, for example, ' book' has one syllable, and ' reading' has two syllables.
EX: bathylimnetic , unaccusatives , maneuverable , aficionado.

6.MEANING OF PHONOTHICS.?
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that focuses on the production and classification of the
world's speech sounds. The production of speech looks at the interaction of different vocal
organs, for example the lips, tongue and teeth, to produce particular sound.