CONSONANT AND VOWEL SOUNDS

By Esther Tejado.

In English, sounds are divided between consonants and vowels.

Consonant sounds

-Depending how they are pronounced, consonants are classified in:

Plosives: It takes place when the tract is blocked. They can be voiceless (p, t, k) or voiced (b, d, g).

Fricatives: It is produced when the airflow becomes noisy and turbulent because it only has a very small space to travel through in the mouth. "S", "f", "v", "d" and "j" are fricatives.

Affricates: It begins as a stop and realizes as a fricative. They are "ch" and "j".

Nasal: It takes place when the velum is lowered and the air escapes through the nose. They are "n" and "m".

Lateral: It takes place when the air proceeds along the sides of the tongue, but it is finally blocked by the tongue. "L" is a lateral consonant.

Approximants: They are created by bringing the middle of the tongue very close to the roof of the mouth, and then releasing. "W", "y" and "r" are approximants.

-Depending where the tongue is situated, they are divided in:

Bilabial: They are produced with both lips. "P", "b" and "m" are bilabial consonants.

Labio-dental: They are articulated with lower lip against the front theeth."F" and "v" are labiodental.

Dental: They are made with the top of the tongue against the front theeth. "T" and "d" are dental consonants.

Alveolar: They are produced with the top of the tongue against the alveolar ridge. "N", "d" and "t" are alveolar consonats.

Postalveolar: They are articulated with the tongue against the back of the alveolar ridge. "S" and "l" are postalveolar.

Palatal: They are made with the tongue's body against the hard palate. "Y" is a palatal.

Retroflex: They are produced with the top of the tongue between the alveolar ridge and the hard palate."R" is a retroflex consonant.

Velar: They are articulated with the back of the tongue against the roof of the palate. "K", "g" and "j" are velar.

Glotal: They are made with the back of the tongue against the velum. "K" and "h" are glotal.

Vowel sounds

Front: It takes place when the tongue is positioned near the front of the mouth. "i" and "u"

Central: It is produced when the tongue is set slightly more back in the mouth. "e".

Back: It takes place when the tongue is set in the far back of the mouth. "u" and "o"

High: It is produced while the mouth is almost closed. "i" and "u"

Mid: It takes place when the mouth is slightly more open. "e" and "o"

Low: It is produced when the mouth is open very tall. "a".

References: Darío Barrera "Fonética y fonología del inglés".
https://www.myenglishteacher.eu/blog/phonetics-consonants-vowels-diphthongs-ipa-chart/