UNIT III

ARTICULATORY AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION OF

ENGLISH CONSONANTS AND VOWELS

Contents: Acoustic nature of consonants. The four main principles of

consonant classification. Differences in articulation bases of English and Russian
consonants. Acoustic nature of vowels. Differences in pronunciation of English
and Russian vowels.

Questions for discussion:

I. Articulatory and physiological classification of English consonants:
1. Manner of noise production and the type of obstruction: occlusive,
constrictive, occlusive-constrictive.
a) voice-noise prevalence: noise consonants, sonorants, stops, plosives;
b) number of voce producing foci: unicentral, bicentral;
c) shape of narrowing: flat narrowing, round narrowing.
2. The place of articulation.
3. The work of vocal cords: voiced, voiceless consonants.
4. The position of the soft palate: oral, nasal.
II. Articulatory and physiological classification of English vowels:
1. Stability of articulation: monophthongs, diphthongs, diphthongoids.
2. Position of the tongue: a) horizontal movement: front, front-retracted, central,
back, back-advanced ; b) vertical movement: high, mid, low.
3. Position of the lips: rounded, unrounded.
4. Degree of tenseness and the character of the end of the vowel.
Degree of tenseness: tense, lax. The character of the end of the vowel: free,
checked.
5. Length: historically long, historically short.

Exercise 1. Transcribe the pairs of words. State what classificatory principles can be
illustrated by the groups of pairs of consonants opposed initially.

transcription
pin – bin; [pin – bin] voiceless fortis vs. voiced lenis
(work of vocal cords)
tie – die
fee – we
fell – well
fee – he
pity – city;
pay – say;
pail – sail
those – rose
Exercise 2. Transcribe the words and read them. Observe the difference between
the fully front [i:] and the front-retracted [i].

transcription transcription
mean – mince steel – still
read – rid leas – list
sleep – slip seek – sick

Exercise 3. Transcribe the words. Observe the difference between the mid – open
[e] and the fully open (low) [æ].

transcription transcription
bed – bad dead – dad
head – had chest – chap
pence – pants central – sandy
anyway – family plenty – platform

Exercise 4. Transcribe the words. Observe the difference between the back-
advanced low vowel of broad variation [α:] and the back-advanced low short
vowel of narrow variation [ʌ].

transcription transcription
calm – come marvel – money
master – monkey harbour – hundred
aunt – under cart – cut
hardly – honey hard – hut

Exercise 5. Transcribe the words. Observe the difference between the high [i:], [i],
the mid [e] and the low [æ].

transcription
bid – bed – bad
mill – men – man
rid – read – rat
lift – left – lad
pit – pet – pat
lit – let – lack
team – ten – tan
beat – bet – bat

Exercise 6. Transcribe these words and read them. Observe the difference between
the back [ɔ:], the mixed [з:] and the front [æ].

transcription
all –earl – shall
walk – work – whack
lawn – learn – lad
torn – turn – tan
board – bird – bad
chalk – church – channel
call – curl – cat
more – mercy – man
saw – sir – sad

Exercise 7. Transcribe the word. Group them in the correct column:

layer, grow fire, digest, liar, global, towel, gown, hour, fable, here, vowel, where,
loyal, coy, poor, lower, mower.

diphthong diphthong triphthong triphthong

play [pleɪ] power [paʊə]

Literature
1. Борисова Л.С., Метлюк А.А. “Theoretical Phonetics” с. 21–35; 35–47.
2. Бурая Е.А., Галочкина И.Е., Шевченко Т.И. «Фонетика современного
английского языка. Теоретический курс» с. 51–86.
3. Соколова М.А, Гинтовт К.П. “English phonetics. A theoretical course” с. 59–
71; 78–88.
4. Alfred Rezkiewicz. “Correct your English pronunciation” c. 15–59; 60–98.