The classification and description of speech Sound: Consonants

The classification and description of speech Sound: Consonants

       Speech sounds are very broadly divided into two categories - Vowels and Consonants.

      The word consonant was derived from the Latin word 'consonare', which means the sound produce with the help of some other sound. Both the ancient Greeks and Indians defined the consonants as a sound produced with the help of vowel.

       Another definition or the modern definition by phoneticians and linguistics is that it is a sound which is produced by a stoppage of breath. In the production of consonants the movement of air from the lungs is fully obstructed, as a result of narrowing or complete closure of air passage.

Generally,

"When we produce some sounds, air escapes through mouth with friction and these sounds are called 'consonants'."

Consonants can be described by three ways:

1. According to the position of glottis they are considered whether they are voiced or voiceless.

2. According to the stricture involved in articulation, plosive, affricate, nasal, fricative are labels given to consonants.

3. According to their places or articulation. It can be described as Bilabial, Velar, Alveolar, Post - Alveolar, Labio-dental , Dental, Palato, Palatal Glottal.

         There are twenty-four distinctive consonants in English. Six of them are plosives, two are affricates, three are fricatives, one is lateral and three are approximants. 

1. Plosive consonants:

        Plosive sound is produced with a stricture of complete closure and sudden release. During the articulation, soft palate is raised, by shutting off the nasal passage. When the oral closure is released, the air escapes with a small explosive noise. For example, /p/, /b/, /d/, /k/, /g/ are plosive sounds.

2. Affricate sounds:

        Affricates are consonants sounds produced with a stricture of complete closure and slow release - /d₃/, /t f/ are affricative sounds. During the articulation of /t f/ the tip of the tongue make a firm contact with alveolar ridge and the hard palate. Both separates slowly and air escapes with friction. So /t f/ is a voiceless palato-aveolar, /d₃/ in the articulation of this, vocal cords vibrates so it is voiced consonant For example: /t f/ - chess, picture, snatch /d₃/ - joy, enjoy, age.

3. Nasal sounds:

         A nasal sound is articulated with a stricture of complete oral closure. During the articulation, soft palate is lowered, shutting of oral passage so air comes through nasal passage.

     

         For example, /m/, /n/, /J/. During the articulation of /m/, the two lips make firm constant with each other and soft palate is lowered. The vocal cords vibrate producing voice. /m/is bilabial nasal. During the articulation of /n/, the tongue touches to alveolar ridge and soft palate is lowered and vocal cord vibrates. So /n/ is a voiced alveolar nasal consonant.   During the articulation of /J/, back of tongue touches soft palate, and soft palate is lowered so it is voiced velar nasal consonant. For example: /m/ - minimum, complete, shame, /n/ - native, snail, sudden. /J/ - young

3. Fricative sounds:

       Fricative sounds are articulated with a stricture of close approximation. For example /f/, /v/, /q/, /ð/, /z/, /f/, /3/, /h/.

        For example: /f/ - Fat - safe, /v/ - visit - save,  /q/ - earth - think,  /ð/ - that - other, /z/ - zone,  /f/ - shape- cash /3/ - measure - vision /h/ - hat - behind.

4. Lateral sounds:

       A lateral sound is articulated by the stricture of complete closure in the centre of the vocal tract. The tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge. Vocal cords vibrate during the production of sounds.  For example /l/ - last - soil.

5. Approximants sounds:

       Approximate sounds are articulated with a stricture of open Approximation. There are three Approximants in English - /r/, /j/, /w/. For example /r/ - reach - dry, /j/ - sure, /w/ - wait - sweet.

The description of consonants includes five kinds of classification:

1. The nature of air - stream mechanism:

 

     Most speech sounds and all normal English sounds are made with an aggressive pulmonic air- stream mechanism that is the air pushed out of lungs.

2. The state of glottis:

     A consonant may be voiced or voiceless depending upon whether the vocal cords remain wide apart (voiceless) or in a state of vibration (voiced).

3. The position of the soft palate:

      While describing consonants, we have to mention whether they are oral sounds or nasal sounds.

4. An articulation involved:

      In the description of consonants, the various articulations are involved. The articulations are active and passive. In the production of a consonant the active articulator is moved towards the passive articulator. The chief points of articulation are,

1) Bilabial:

Labial is regarding lips. In the production of sound lips becomes the important part. For example - mile - /m/, pile - /p/.

2) Labiodentals:

Dental suggests teeth. Labiodental suggests that lips and teeth are involved in the production of some sound. For example, /v/ - vine, /f/ - fine.

3) Dental:

Dental suggests teeth. The tip of tongue touches to the front upper teeth. For example - thin - then.

4) Alveolar:

The tip of blade touches the teeth ridge. The tip of the tongue is n active articulator. For example - tin, din, sin, and love.

5) Post Alveolar:

Back side of teeth ridge is hard palate; the tip of tongue goes towards that part but doesn't touch the hard palate. This part is post Alveolar. For example - try, dry.

6) Palato Alveolar:

The front of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate.

7) Palatal:

The front tongue is the active articulator and the hard palate is passive. For example - yes.

8) Velar:

The back tongue moves to soft palate. For example - back, bag, bang.

9) Glottal:

       Glottal sounds are produced at the glottis and the two vocal cords are the articulators. For example- hat.

    

      In the case of some consonant sounds, there can be a secondary place of articulation in the addition to the primary. Therefore we can say that, the classification of the consonants can be done according to the place of articulation

5. The nature of stricture:

      

      The nature of stricture, suggests manner of articulation. It suggests the relationship between the active and passive articulators. It is based on the complete closure and sudden release, complete oral closure, complete closure and slow release, close approximation, open approximation, quick closure and release, and partial closure.