Prof. S. Chiatti Formal description of consonants.

Differences between vowels and consonants

Vowels (12) Consonants (22+2(w,j) + 1(x))

• In phonetics, a segment whose articulation involves no
significant obstruction of the airstream. The air, once out of
the glottis, is allowed to pass freely through the resonators.
• Voiced
• Nucleus of a syllable.
• Acoustically more sonorous than consonants
• Defined according to the height and backness of the tongue.
• All vowels are oral, the nasal cavity is blocked.
• Described according to: 1. Part of the tongue raised the
highest; 2. Height of the tongue; 3. Lip rounding; 4. Opening bet.
the jaws; 5. Tenseness; 6. Position of the soft palate; and 7.
Voicing.
.
General description of English consonants
1. Source of airstream: pulmonic
·All English consonants are Pulmonic, the airstream emerges
from the lungs.
2. Airstream direction: egresive, forced outwards.
3.Voicing: voiced/voiceless
• In phonetics, a segment whose articulation involves a
significant obstruction to the airflow in the vocal tract. The air,
once out of the glottis, is obstructed by the resonators.
• Voiced or voiceless
• Margin of a syllable
• Generally less sonorous than vowels.
• Defined according to manner and place of articulation.
• Some consonants oral others are nasal.
• Described according to: 1. Source of airstream; 2. Airstream
direction; 3. Voicing; 4. Manner of articulation; 5. Place of
articulation; 6. Breath effort; 7. Noise component; and 8.
Position of the soft palate.
MANNER: PLOSIVES

4.Manner of articulation (state of the air passage) Bilabial: p b Alveolar: t d Velar: k g

OBSTRUENTS

PLOSIVES or stops: Air is blocked and then released making

a kind of explosion MANNER: FRICATIVES
FRICATIVES or sibilants: there’s a narrowing in the
articulators producing friction
AFRICATES mix of plosives and fricatives: 

NASALS: in its production the air escapes through the nose

 Post-alveolar
SONORANTS

Labiodental: f v Alveolar: s z
LIQUIDS: a partial but firm closure is made at some point and dental
in the mouth, the airstream being allowed to escape on one
MANNER: NASALS
or both sides of the contact
GLIDES semivowels: a narrowing is made in the mouth but it
is not quite sufficient to cause friction. Glides are frictionless
and continuant: vowel like; they function phonologically as
consonants, they appear in the edge of sillables 

5. Place of articulation Bilabial: m Alveolar: n Velar: 

BILABIAL: articulated with both lips
LABIODENTAL: lower lip articulates with upper teeth
DENTAL: tip of the tongue art. with the upper teeth PLACE OF
ARTICULATION
ALVEOLAR: tip or blade art. with alveolar ridge upper teeth
POST/PALATO-ALVEOLAR: tip and blade art. with alveolar
ridge and, at the same time, front of the tongue is raised lower lip
towards hard palate
PALATAL: front of the tongue art. with hard palate BILABIAL
VELAR: the back of the tongue art. with soft palate LABIODENTAL
GLOTTAL: an obstruction or a narrowing causing friction
but no vibration, bet the vocal folds
tip/blade
of tongue upper
6. Degree of breath and muscular effort involved alveolar
teeth
in the articulation: lenis (voiced) / fortis (voiceless) ridge tip of
tongue
LIQUIDS: a partial but fact
ALVEOLAR DENTAL
7. Noise component:
obstruents: plosives, fricatives, africates - there is
noise component in its articulation. POST-ALVEOLAR
sonorants: nasals, liquids, glides - there isn’t PALATO-ALVEOLAR
noise component.

8. Soft palate: lowered (nasal) / raised (oral)