THE SOUNDS OF ENGLISH

CONSONANTS
Part 3

Compiled by: Ritika Sinha

Kinds of Strictures/Constrictions

STOPS PARTIAL INTERMITTENT NARROWING APPROXIMATION

(COMPLETE CLOSURE) CLOSURE CLOSURE /GLIDE

PLOSIVES LATERAL TRILL FRICATIVES FRICTIONLESS

AFFRICATES CONTINUANT
NASALS SEMI-VOWELS
TAP
FLAP
Sound not frequently used in english RP
There are different ways certain sounds are uttered, that we don’t use, or rarely use,
in English RP.
Retroflex – a sound produced by curling the tongue back, such that the underside of
the tip of the tongue articulates with the rear part of teeth ridge
In American English, we make a retroflex r.
Some indian languages, like Hindi, marathi actually make retroflexed sounds.

Trill– a sound produced by allowing an active articulator to tap repeatedly against a

passive articulator. The tip of the tongue taps against the alveolar ridge several times,
so that the air passes intermittently between the articulators

Some dialects of English (Spanish English speakers, for instance) use a trilled /r/
http://www.learnlanguagesonyourown.com/Audio/Spanish/carro.mp3
Flap – a sound produced by allowing an active articulator to tap once quickly
against a passive articulator, and then immediately moving to the position of
following sound.
The indian speakers of English use a retroflex flap.
Some English speakers do so with [t] when it is between vowels, so it sounds
more like a [d]. Example; matter (What's the matter with him?)
https://youtu.be/9b-UIkuwOdU

Tap -- Taps are similar to plosives, but a tap is a single brief burst with little
accumulation of pressure at the place of articulation which results in a contact
time that is usually much less. The active articulator (tongue) make only a
momentary contact with the passive articulator and then moves to its position of
rest. Example; the /r/ sound in the British English word, ‘very’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do_cYPnbv8M
They sound so similar that you can usually use either one in English without any
noticeable effect on your accent.
PLOSIVE

TAP/FLAP

TRILL