Date: 04/ 03/2020 Lecture no: S2-04

Module: Phonetics The Title of Lecture: English Fricatives

Notes b) English Fricatives:

Fricatives are consonant sounds in which the air is forced through a narrow gap in the oral cavity creating
a hissing sound.

¾ Production of Fricatives:
These are produced when the air passage is narrowed resulting an audible friction. Fricatives are
produced by bringing the mouth into position to block the passage of the airstream, but not making
complete closure, so that air moving through the mouth generates audible friction.

¾ English Fricatives: English has eight (8) fricative consonants: /f, s, Ƨ,‫ ݕ‬/ , /v, z, ð, ‫ݤ‬/, and /h/
x Place of articulation:
/f, v / Labiodentals: (the lower lip and the upper front teeth come together)
/s, z/ Alveolar: (the tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge);
/ Ƨ,ð / Dentals: (the tongue tip and the upper teeth come together).
/‫ ݕ‬, ‫ ݤ‬/ Palato-Alveolar: (the tongue blade is placed against the alveolar ridge).
/h/ Glottal: articulated by the vocal folds.

x Manner of Articulation is Fricative.

x Voicing:
/f, s, Ƨ, ‫ ݕ‬/ are voiceless, more
muscular force, i.e. Fortis.
/v, z, ð, ‫ݤ‬/ are voiced,
less energy, i.e. Lenis
/h/ is Neutral.

N.B.
9 Fortis Fricatives: seem to be articulated with greater force, and they are heard louder; and
9 They have also the effect of shortening the preceding vowel. E.g. /aܼz/ and /aܼs/.
9 /v, z, ð, ‫ݤ‬/ are devoiced when they occur in the last position of words.

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Date: 04/ 03/2020 Lecture no: S2-05
Module: Phonetics The Title of Lecture: English Affricates

Notes c) English Affricates (semi plosives)

An affricate is a plosive followed immediately by a fricative in the same place of articulation.

¾ Production of Affricates:
The English affricates, the sound /‫ݹ‬/ and the /‫ݶ‬/ sound are two-part consonant sounds. They begin
by fully stopping the air from leaving the vocal tract (similar to Plosives), then releasing it suddenly
with a plosion through a constricted opening. However, as the air is released through a narrow
passage it goes out with difficulty causing a friction. (similar to a fricative sound).

¾ English Affricates: The English affricates are two (2): /‫ݹ‬/ and /‫ݶ‬/
x Place of articulation:
/‫ݹ‬/ and /‫ݶ‬/: Palato-Alveolar (the tongue blade is placed against the alveolar ridge).

x Manner of Articulation is Affricate

x Voicing:
/‫ݹ‬/ is voiceless
/‫ݶ‬/ is voiced

Summary:

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Date: 11/03/2020 Lecture no: S2-06
Module: Phonetics The Title of Lecture: English Nasals

Notes d) Nasals:
Nasal sounds are produced with the velum lowered letting the air to pass through the nasal cavity.

¾ Production of Nasals:
The English Nasals are formed through a complete closure of the mouth as the velum is lowered
allowing the air to pass through the nose as in: /m/, /n/ and /Ʀ/, while the air is not allowed to
pass through the mouth because something (like the tongue or the lips) is stopping it.

¾ English Nasals: The English nasals are three: /m/, /n/ and /Ʀ/,
x Place of articulation:
/m/: Bilabial (articulated the two lips firmly closed.
/n/: Alveolar (the tip of the tongue presses against the alveolar ridge blocking the air to escape)
/Ʀ/: Velar (the back of the tongue is pressed against the soft palate)
These sounds are lenis voiced produced with a narrow glottis

x Manner of Articulation is Nasal

x Voicing: Voiced (All)

N.B

/Ʀ/ is pronounced in words containing n + g

9 /Ʀ/ is pronounced WITHOUT a following /g/ at the end of the morpheme (1)
E.g. Sing /sܼń/, Hanger /‫ޖ‬hæńԥ/

9 /Ʀ/is pronounced WITHOUT a following /g/ when the word is composed of two morphemes (2)
E.g. Banger /‫ޖ‬bæńԥ/, Ringing /‫ޖ‬rܼńܼń/, Lovingly /‫ޖ‬l‫ݞ‬vܼńli/, Songs /s‫ܥ‬ńz/

Exception: words in comparative and superlative forms are composed of two morphemes (normally
without /g/ sound), but in fact are pronounced with a following /g/ . i.e. the rule does not
function with the comparative and superlative forms of words.
E.g. Strong /str‫ܥ‬ń/ Î Stronger /‫ޖ‬str‫ܥ‬ńgԥ/

9 /Ʀ/ pronounced WITH a following /g/ at the middle of the morpheme (1)
E.g. Finger /‫ޖ‬fܼńgԥ/, Anger /‫ޖ‬æńgԥ/, England /‫ܼޖ‬ńglԥnd/, English /‫ܼޖ‬ńglܼ‫ݕ‬/, Engage /ܼn‫ޖ‬geܼ‫ݶ‬/

9 /Ʀ/ is sometimes used in transcription as n + k

E.g. Thank /Ƨæńk/, Think /Ƨܼńk/, Pink /pܼńk/, Drink /drܼńk/, Dru
unk /dr‫ݞ‬ńk/

Summary:

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Date: 08/04/2020 Lecture no: S2-07
Module: Phonetics The Title of Lecture: English Laterals

Notes e) Lateralss:
A lateral is a consonant in which the airstream proceeds along the sides of the tongue, but it is blocked by
the tongue from going through the middle of the mouth.

¾ Production of Latera
al:
When producing the sound /l /, the air is allowed to pass only round the sides of the tongue because
there is a complete closure between the centre on the tongue and the palate.

¾ English Lateral: English has one lateral phoneme: the lateral approximant /l / which in many accents
has two allophones. One, found beffore vowels and is called cllear l, pronounced as the alveolar lateral
approximant [l] with a "neutral" position of the body of the tongue. The other variant, so-called dark ܽ ,
found before consonants or word--finally, as in bold or tell, is pronounced as the velarized alveolar lateral
approximant [ܽ] with the tongue assuming a spoon-like shape with its back part raised, which gives the
sound a [w]- or [‫]ݱ‬-like resonance.

x Place of articulation:
/l/ : Alveolar (the tip of the tongue presses against the alveolar ridge blocking the air to escape)

x Manner of Articulation is a Lateral

x Voicing: /l/ is voiced as the vocal folds vibrate when producing it.

N.B
In English, we distinguish between two allophones of /l/, clear [l] and dark [ܽ]

9 Clear [l ]: (Alveolar) in its realization, it is the font of the tongue which is raised.
It occurred only before vowels or /j/ and in initial position
E.g. late /l eܼt/, look /l ‫ݜ‬k/, allow /ԥ‫ޖ‬l a‫ݜ‬/

9 Dark [ܽ]: (Velarized) in its realization, it is the back of the tongue which is raised.
It occurred in the final or medial position preceding a consonant or a pause.
E.g. feel/fi‫ ܽޝ‬/, mile/maܼܽ /, fools /fu‫ܽޝ‬z/, belt /b‫ܽܭ‬W /

In addition to Clear [l] and Dark [ܽ], we distinguish other types of the phoneme /l/; they are considered as
allophones of this phoneme. Devoiced [l] and syllabic [Oࡦ ].

9 Devoiced [l ]: /l/ becomes devoiced when it is preceded by voiceless plosives /p, t, k/ at the beginning
of a stressed syllable
E.g. play /pleܼ/ , clue /klu/, employ /ܼm‫ޖ‬pl‫ܼܧ‬/

9 Syllabic /Oࡦ / : /‫ ܃‬/ stands for the centre of unstressed syllable. It is not considered as an allophone of /l/
and we indicate it by a vertical mark.
E.g. trrouble /‫ޖ‬tr‫ݞ‬b‫ ܃‬/, bottlle /‫ޖ‬b‫ܥ‬t‫ ܃‬/, applle /‫ޖ‬æp‫ ܃‬/, couplle/‫ޖ‬k‫ݞ‬p‫ ܃‬/
In English, when the unstressed vowel schwa /ԥ/ is followed by /l/ in the same syllable , the
vowel Schwa is not heard, and the lateral consonant becomes syllabic
E.g. Formal /‫ޖ‬f‫ޝܧ‬mԥ‫܃‬/, Syllable /‫ޖ‬sܼlԥb‫܃‬/

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