Topic 2

Topic 2  Consonants

    No.      Phonemes          Helping Words         

1.             /  p  /                        p --- pen                              

2.             /  b  /                        b --- bed

3.             /  t  /                         t ---  tea

4.             /  d  /                        d ---  desk

5.             /  k  /                        c --- uncle / k ---ankle  / ch --- mechanic

6.             /  g  /                        g --- girl

7.             /   f  /                        f – fly / gh – rough / ph – elephant

8.             /   v  /                       v – vase

9.             /   q   /                      th – three

10.            /   ð    /                    th – father

11.            /  s  /                         s – sea / c – cell /  x – box

12.            /  z  /                         z – zoo / s – boys / es – houses

13.            /   ∫    /                    sh -- she /t -- patient /c -- ocean

14.            /   ӡ    /                    s -- leisure 

15.            /   h  /                       h --  hat

16.            /  t∫     /                  ch – chair

17.            /  dӡ    /                  ge – orange /dge – bridge/ J -- June

18.            /  w  /                       w – we      

19.            /  j  /                         y – yes

       

20.            /  l  /                          l – all /  l -- like

21.            /  r  /                         r -- red

22.            /  m  /                       m – mother

23.            /  n  /                        n – no / n – on

24.            /  ŋ  /                        nk – sink / ng – sing                   

                                Table 2                                              5.    

 The consonant phonemes are arranged based on the Manners of Articulation as in the table above.

No.  1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 are voiceless speech sounds.  The rest are voiced speech sounds.  No 1-16 are speech sounds in pairs like /p  b/, /t  d/, /k  g/ .......and the pair is marked by the difference of phonation.

Consonant Features in Description:  Places and Manners of Articulation

               Phonation     Bilabial   Labiodental   Interdental  Alveolar  Palatal  Velar  Glottal

Stop                 voiceless       p                                                                  t                          k

                        Voiced             b                                                                  d                          g

Fricative          voiceless                         f                       θ                      s               ʃ                      h        

                        Voiced                            v                       ð                          z               ʒ

Affricative       voiceless                                                                                           ʧ

                        Voiced                                                                                                  ʤ

Glides              voiced          w                                                                                     j

   Lateral         voiced                                                                                 l

   Retroflex      voiced                                                                                r           

Nasal               voiced           m                                                                    n                                 ŋ

                                Table 3

To describe a consonant phoneme, you consider the following features:

 1.  Places of Articulation

     2.  Manner of Articulation

     3.  Phonation:  voicelss / voiced

Places of Articulation

The airstream is obstructed at following places:

1.    Bilabial (bi – two; labial – lips ) :                       /p  b/    /w /    /m/

2.    Labiodental (lip and teeth)              :                 /f  v/

3.    Interdental                            :                          /θ ð/

4.    Alveolar                                        :                  /t  d/   /s  z/  /l  r/  / n /

5.    Palatal                                  :                          /ʃ ʒ/  /ʧ ʤ/   /j /

6.    Velar                                   :                            /k  g/   / ŋ /

7.    Glottah                                 :                           / h /

Manners of Articulation

The ways the airstream are obstructed / partially obstructed.

1.   Stop/Plosive          :  /p  b/   /t  d/   /k  g/

2.   Fricative                 :  /f  v/   /θ ð/   /s  z/   /ʃ ʒ/   / h /

3.   Affricative      :                                      /ʧ ʤ/

4.   Glide              :          /w  j/    /l  r/

Nasal             :              /m  n  ŋ /                          

The Vowel Quadrilateral Chart

The Vowel  Quadrilateral Chart

              *                                                                               *       

 High            i:                                                                        u:      

                     I                                                                       U

   

 Mid               e                                3：                             (Ɔ)Ɔ:

                                                          ә                                 ɒ

                        

 Low                  æ                                       ʌ                    (a) α :   

                 *                                                                                   *

                        Front                           Central                    Back    

 

The Vowel Quadrilateral Chart shows the cross-section of the tongue.  The vertical line shows the height of the speech sounds:  High, Mid or Low.  The horizontal line shows the advancement of the tongue:  Front, Centre or Back.       

The vowel phonemes are arranged based on the position and height from high to low and from front to back according to the Vowel Quadrilateral Chart . 

There are 12 monophthongs:  7 short vowels and 5 long vowels with colon marked immediately after the symbols like /i:/. 

There are 8 diphthongs  arranged according to the second phoneme in the combination:  / I /, / ə / and / ʊ /.   It involves the glide of the first sound to the second speech sound.  For example, the diphthong / eI /, it is / e / phoneme glide to / I /   phoneme.      

          *   I

             e                               Ɔ

                                               a

                             Diagram 1

( I do not know how to draw all the lines from /e; Ɔ;  ...... / towards I.  You draw the lines from the 3 speech sounds towards I to show the glide of the sounds to I..) 

                  
                    I

                                                             U                                

                      e                              

                                               * ə                                                 

                           Diagram 2
     The speech sounds glide towards /ə/.

                                                                      *ʊ

                                          ə
                                                         
                                                                    a  

                                     Diagram 3 
       The speech sounds glide towards /U /.

For triphthongs:  just add / ə / to the diphthongs No. 13, 14, 15, 19 and 20 to produce / eIə /,  / Ɔ Iə/,  / aI ə/       / ә U ə/ and / aUə/         vowel speech sounds.