Tom’s Homemade* Consonant Chart

{+, -}

What consonant sounds do you make?

Each cell in the table below represents a type of consonant that can be either voiced (i.e. with vibrating vocal folds)
or voiceless (no vibration). Using ‘+’ for voiced and ‘-‘ for voiceless, think of your own speech & mark down as many
consonants as you can identify. You get bonus points if you can also indicate other tongue positions and/or nasality and
laterality (see reverse for more info).

← Place →
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Stop

Affricate
→ Fricative
Manner

← Trill

Flap/tap

Approximant
Using the chart
The goal of this chart is to provide a system that you can use to categorize the consonant sounds that you make &
that you hear other people make. The numbers (1~10) in the diagram refer to some of the most common places where
consonants are made in the vocal tract. The lower-case letters (a~f) indicate parts of the tongue that are involved in making
consonants - a consonant is often a combination of part of the tongue interacting somehow with another place in the vocal
tract. The dark circles marked ‘L’ & ‘N’ indicate different ways that air can pass through the vocal tract: ‘lateral’ (L) means
that air is allowed to pass over the sides of the tongue, & ‘nasal’ (N) means that air is allowed to pass through the nose.
Another parameter that we use to describe consonants is whether the vocal folds (or ‘cords’ - #10 in the diagram) vibrate (+)
or don’t vibrate (-).
Manner refers to how air is allowed to flow out of the mouth. Air is completely blocked for stops, and flows freely for
approximants. Fricatives have very narrow passages for air to flow out of, & make a hissing noise when the vocal folds
aren’t vibrating. Affricates are stops that get ‘released’ into fricatives. Trills involve airflow coming out of the mouth such
that it causes something to vibrate. Flaps/taps involve some part of the tongue only very briefly hitting another place in the
vocal tract like a rubber ball & bouncing away.
The convention for naming consonant sounds in linguistics is to describe the above features starting from vocal fold
vibration & ending with manner:
Vocal folds → (Active place) → Passive place → Nasality or Laterality → Manner
+ c 4 N stop
What does a ‘+c4N stop’ sound like?? Experiment w/your voice & try to figure it out!

Jargon (for anyone interested in researching more deeply)

Symbol Jargon (adjectives) Explanation

+ voiced When the vocal folds (a.k.a. ‘cords’) vibrate
- voiceless When the vocal folds don’t vibrate
1 labial / bilabial involves (both) lips
2 labiodental involves lips & teeth
3 dental / interdental involves the teeth
4 alveolar involves the ‘gum ridge’ just behind the upper front teeth
5 post-alveolar / alveopalatal involves the area behind the gum ridge, towards the front of the mouth
6 palatal involves the roof of the mouth, or ‘hard palate’
7 velar involves the ‘soft palate’ towards the back of the mouth
8 uvular involves the little ‘punching bag’ that hangs behind the soft palate
9 pharyngeal involves the space located behind the root of the tongue
10 glottal involves the glottis - the opening between the vocal folds
a sub-laminal involves the underside of the front, or lamina, of the tongue
b apical involves the tongue apex, or tip
c laminal involves the upper front part of the tongue (a.k.a. the tongue ‘blade’)
d anterior-dorsal involves the middle part of the tongue body
e posterior-dorsal involves the rear of the ‘dorsum,’ or back of the tongue
f radical / epiglottal involves the tongue root, or ‘radix,’ & the flap of cartilage attached to it call the
‘epiglottis’

*This chart represents just one way of organizing & talking about consonants. If you’re really keen, you can also take a look at the International Phonetic Association’s chart that also
includes all of the phonetic symbols used to represent the different sounds.