CHAPTER 4: VOICING AND CONSONANTS

Questions / Topics Main Ideas / Details

1. The larynx 1. Has several very important functions in speech
2. The larynx is in the neck
3. A material that is similar to bone but less hard.
4. The larynx's structure is made of two large cartilages
5. These are hollow and are attached to the top of the
trachea; when we breathe, the air passes through the trachea
and the larynx.
2. The vocal folds 1. Inside the "box" made by these two cartilages are the
vocal folds,
two thick flaps of muscle rather like a pair of lips;
2. At the front the vocal folds are joined together and fixed
to the inside of the thyroid cartilage.

3. The arytenoid cartilages so that if the arytenoid

cartilages move, the vocal folds move too.
4. the word glottis to refer to the opening between the
vocal folds

3. The vocal folds 1. Wide apart: The vocal folds are wide apart for normal
breathing and usually during voiceless consonants like p, f, s
2. Narrow glottis: If air is passed through the glottis when
it is narrowed
3. Position for vocal fold vibration: When the edges of the
vocal folds are touching each other, or nearly touching, air
passing through the glottis will usually cause vibration
4. Vocal folds tightly closed: The vocal folds can be firmly
pressed together so that air cannot pass between them
we call it a glottal stop or glottal plosive, for which we use
the symbol

4.Respiration and 1. Respiration and its connection to voicing in speech

voicing production:
+ The most common airflow used in speech is the egressive
pulmonic airstream, where air is pushed out of the lungs.

+ The movement of the rib cage controls the intake and

expulsion of air from the lungs.
+ Voicing, or phonation, is produced by the vibration of
the vocal folds in the larynx.

+ Different voice qualities can be achieved by varying the

tension, length, and closure of the vocal folds, as well as the
subglottal pressure.

2. Three main differences:

+ Intensity: Refers to the loudness or softness of your

voice. You use high intensity for shouting and low intensity
for whispering.

+ Frequency: Determined by how fast your vocal folds

vibrate. Faster vibrations produce higher-pitched sounds,
while slower vibrations produce lower-pitched sounds.

+ Quality: The overall character of your voice, such as

breathy, creaky, or harsh.
5. Plosive 1. A plosive is a consonant articulation.

6. Plosive 1. One or two articulators, which are moved opposite

characteristics another articulator or opposite each other to form a stricture
that prevents air from escaping from the respiratory tract.
The whole thing was very strict and strict.
2. After this stricture has been formed, the compressed air at
the back will be released and can escape.
3. If there's still pressure behind the tight closure when the
plosive sound is released, it's likely that the air escaping will
create a sufficiently loud noise. This sound is referred to as
plosion.
4. There may be voicing during part or all of the plosive
articulation

7. Plosive creation There are four stages.

process
1. The first phase (Closing phase) is when the articulator or
articulators move to form the stricture for the plosive.
EX: "bat" (/bæt/).
2. The second phase (Compression phase) is when the
compressed air is stopped from escaping.
EX: “cat” (/kæt/)
3. The third phase (Release phase) is when the articulators
used to form the stricture are moved so as to allow air to
escape.
EX: “tap” (/tæp/)
4. The fourth phase (Post-release phase) is what happens
immediately after three
EX: “stop” (/stɒp/)
8. English plosives - Has six plosive consonants: p, t, k, b, d, g. The glottal
plosive "ʔ" occurs frequently but it is of less importance.
- Just an alternative pronunciation of p, t or k in certain
contexts.
- The plosives have different places of articulation. The
plosives p and b are bilabial since the lips are pressed
together

t and d are alveolar since the tongue blade is pressed

against the alveolar ridge.
 - The plosives k and g are velar; The plosives p, t, and k are
always voiceless; b, d, and g are sometimes fully voiced,
partly voiced and voiceless.

- All six plosives can occur at the beginning of a word

(initial position), between other sounds (medial position)
and at the end of a word (final position).

9. Initial position (CV): - The release of p, t, k is followed by audible plosion, that

is, a burst of noise, in the post-release phase, a period during
which air escapes through the vocal folds, making a sound
like h. This is called aspiration.
- Then the vocal folds come together and voicing begins.
- The most noticeable and important difference, then,
between initial p, t, k and b, d, g is the aspiration of the
voiceless plosives p, t, k
- In initial position b, d, g cannot be preceded by any
 consonant, but p, t, k may be preceded by s.
- the unaspirated p, t, k of the initial combinations sp, st, sk
have the sound quality that makes English speakers perceive
a plosive as one of b, d, g; with the s removed, an initial b,
d or g is heard by English speakers.
10. Medial position - The pronunciation of p, t, k and b, d, g in medial position
(VCV): depends to some extent on whether the syllables preceding
and following the plosive are stressed.
- We can say that a medial plosive may have the character-
istics either of final or of initial plosives.
11. Final position (VC): - Final b, d, g normally have little voicing; if there is
voicing, it is at the beginning of the compression phase
- The plosion following the release of p, t, k and b, d, g is
very weak and often not audible.
- Difference between p, t, k and b, d, g is primarily the fact
that vowels preceding p, t, k are much shorter.

12. Are a,d, and g 1. It is not very accurate to call them “voiced”.
voiced plosives? 2. In initial and final position. They are scarely voiced at all.
3. The vocieless plosives p,t,k are called fortis (meaning
“strong), b,d,g called lenis (meaning “weak”).
4. Type of consonant (such as plosives like p,t and k,
fricaties like s and z, nassal like m,n) obstructs the airflow
in a different way. These are classed as different manners
of articulation.