PHONETICS MANUAL.indd - HumBox

consonants
[4]
The story so far:
Vowels are classified in terms of three parameters affecting the shape of the
oral cavity: tongue height, tongue fronting, lip rounding.
Diphthongs are vowels involving a change of tongue position.
4.01 Classifying Consonants
You’ll recall that the basic way in which vowels and consonants differ is that, whether
it’s voiced or voiceless, producing a consonant involves some sort of constriction above
the level of the glottis, with ensuing airstream turbulence. The obstruction may be
partial (as for s), intermittent (as for a trilled r) or complete (as — momentarily — for
p). But consonants, unlike vowels, always involve a “supra-glottal” constriction of
some kind.
Consequently, although consonants are also classified according to three parameters,
these are different from the ones you have been studying for vowels. One consonant
parameter has already been described in 2.04: voicing.
There are two others: place of articulation and manner of articulation. Respectively they
specify where the airstream is constricted and how it’s constricted.
4.02 Place of Articulation: Bilabials, Dentals, Alveolars and Velars
Where, for each consonant, is the point of narrowest constriction along the vocal tract?
Compare three pairs of consonants which occur in all European languages:
[p, b], [t, d], [k, g].
[p] and [b] are both produced by means of a constriction involving the lips, as is
obvious if you just say [apa], [aba] slowly to yourself. The vocal folds continue to
vibrate in the case of [b], but not in the case of [p]: otherwise there’s no difference
40 Consonants