PHONETICS MANUAL.indd - HumBox

There’s a slight but significant difference between [t, d] in English as compared
with the corresponding consonants in French, Spanish and Italian. In the last three
languages the tongue is always placed against the back of the upper front teeth for [t,
d], not against the teethridge, and this results in a slightly “sharper” sound. The term
DENTAL is used in this case. (German [t] and [d] are alveolar, just as in English.)
Fig. 27 shows the difference between the places of articulation for dental and alveolar
consonants.
Fig 27
Dental [t, 9 d] 9
Alveolar [t, d]
As you can see from Fig. 27, the IPA specifies the dental/alveolar difference by placing
a “tooth mark” below the dentals: [t 9 d].This 9 is obviously useful when languages are
being compared. However, in everyday transcription of French, Spanish or Italian,
the mark can be omitted: [t, d] are always dental in these languages, so it’s unnecessary
to specify the fact every time one of them comes up.
Though not exactly one of the most crucial pronunciation differences between
English or German on the one hand and French, Spanish or Italian on the other, the
[t d]/[t 9 d] 9 distinction isn’t difficult to achieve, and it’s worth the effort to make your
pronunciation that little bit more authentic. Just remember to place your tongue
fractionally further forward when you make the consonant.
There’s no difference in place of articulation between English and the other languages
in the case of [p, b] or [k, g].
Now we can start building up the IPA consonant chart. Here are the four places of
articulation mentioned so far. As with the vowel chart, the left-hand side corresponds
to the front of the mouth, the right-hand side to the back.
FIG. 28
bilabial dental alveolar velar
42 Consonants