SML1019 SPANISH SEMINAR 1.

SOUNDS OF SPANISH

1. Vowels Table 2. Spanish Consonants

Spanish vowels are high, mid, or low; front, central or back vowel.

Bilabial

Labiodental

Dental

Alveolar

Palato-Alveolar

Palatal

Velar
Spanish has five vowel sounds:
piso
peso
paso
poso
puso
[p] [t] [k]
voiceless capa pata pico
Exercise 1. Classify these vowels using the criteria you have learned in Stop
[b] [d] [g]
the lecture. voiced amboss lindo vengo
[f] [] [s] [x]
voiceless caf caza casa caja
Fric.
2. Semivowels [] [] [z] [] []
voiced lobo cada mismo ayer lago
The semivowels in Spanish are [j] (tiene, rey) and [w] (agua, Europa)
[ ]
Appr. voiced Israel
Exercise 2. Give a phonetic specification of these sounds.
[t ]
voiceless chico
Exercise 3. In which of the words below are /i/ or /u/ realized as Affr.
semivowels? [d]
voiced ya
guante pie estis hacia haca continuo contino
veinte pa puerto rene lo ri ruido [m] [] [n] [] []
Nasal cama ninfa cana caa tengo
[l] []
Lat. cala calla
voiced
[ ]
Tap caro
[r]
Trill carro
Exercise 4. For each of the words below, state the place of articulation
of the sound corresponding to the letter(s) in bold (and give the Course website:
phonetic symbol):
http://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/i.e.mackenzie/index.html
corte mes pavo agrio paname llan hacha
a o o
agobi ratn gafa manopl hinoxo cod ahorr
o s a o o

Exercise 5. (Manner of Articulation)

(a) Spanish has four non-lateral oral consonants at the dental place of
articulation: [t, d, , ]. Explain how each one differs in its articulatory
properties from the other four.

(b) Explain the difference between a trill and a tap.

(c) What is meant by the term nasal consonant?

(d) How does [] differ in its articulation from []?

Further reading

Bradley, Peter T. & Mackenzie, Ian. 2004. Spanish: an essential grammar.

London: Routledge. (Chapter 1)
Mackenzie, I.E. 2001. A Linguistic Introduction to Spanish. Munich: Lincom
Europa.
Macpherson, I.R. 1975. Spanish Phonology, Descriptive and Historical.
Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Navarro Toms, Toms. 1968. Manual de pronunciacin espaola (14th ed.).
Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientficas.
Quilis, Antonio, & Fernndez, Joseph H. 1996. Curso de fontica y fonologa
espaolas (15th ed.). Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones
Cientficas.