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Gimson, Chapters 2 and 4
Gimson, Chapters 2 and 4
The tongue is by far the most flexible and capable of assuming a great variety of positions in
the articulation of both vowels and consonants.
Front, back centre, the part facing the teeth is the blade, and its extremity the tip. The edges of the
tongue are the rims.
Grimson 4
Vowels and Consonants
Phonologically
Consonants are those segments which, in a particular language, occur at the edges of syllables
Vowels are those which occur at the centre of syllables.
Phonetically
Vowels are defined as median (air must escape over the middle of the tongue), oral (air must escape
through the mouth), frictionless, and continuant. All sounds excluding from this definition would be
consonants.
j,w,r are consonants phonologically (edges of syllables), and are vowels phonetically. These are called
semi-vowels.
Consonants can be voiced or voiceless, and vowels are all voiced.
Consonants
To describe a consonant, we have to know:
If the airstream is pulmonic or non pulmonic
If the airstream is egresive or ingressive
If they are voiced or voiceless
If they are oral, nasal or nasalised (soft palate raised or lowered)
Place of articulation
Manner of articulation
Place of articulation
Bilabial > the two lips are the primary articulators P B M
Labiodental > the lowe lip articulates with the upper teeth F V
Dental > The tongue tip and rims articulate with the upper teeth They/Think
Alvealar > The blade or tip and blade of the tongue articulates with the alvealar ridge T D L N S Z
Post-Alvealar > The tip of the tongue articulates with the rear part of the alvealar ridge R
Palato-Alvealar > The blade or the tip and blade of the tongue articulates with the alvealar ridge and
there is at the same time a raising of the front of the tongue towards the hard palate. ts dz S Yeye
Palatal > The front of the tongue articulates with the hard palate J
Velar > The back of the tongue articulates with the soft palate K G ING
Glotal > An obstruction, or a narrowing causing friction but not vibration, between the vocal folds H hat
Manner of articulation
Complete closure
Plosive > complete at some pint in the vocal tract, begind which the air pressure builds up and can be
released explosibely P B T D K G and glottal stop
Affricate > The air pressure builds up, separation of the organs is slow compared with that of a
plosive, extended friction. tS dz
Nasal > the soft palate is lowered, the air escapes through the nose. These sounds are continuant.
Vowel like M N ING
Trill or roll > a seris of rapid intermitent closures made by a flexible organ on a firmer surface where
the tongue tip trills against the alvealar ridge as in spanish perro, or where the uvula thrills against the
back of the tongue.
Tap > Single tap made by a flecible organ on a firmer surface. Perito
Partial closure
Lateral > A partial closure is made at some point in the mouth, the aistream being able to escape
from one or both sides of the contact
Narrowing
Fricative > two organs approximate to such and extent that the airstream passes between them with
friction S Z F V SS YEYE THE THING H
Narrowing without friction
Approximant or frictionless continuant > These are vowel like, but their function is phonologically
as consonants.
Obstruents: those that whose production involve impeding the airstream through the vocal tract to
cause noise. FRICATIVES, PLOSIVES AND AFFRICATES
Sonorants: voiced sounds in which there is no noise compounments. VOICED NASALS, APPROXIMANTS
AND VOWELS
Voiceless sounds are fortis, need more emphasis, voiced are lenies, less force.