Consonants

• There are 24 consonants in English, classified according to:

(1) place of articulation, (2) manner of articulation, and voicing
(2) .
Place of Articulation:
1. Bilabial: -both the upper and the lower lips are active articulators for this place.
2. Labiodental: -the active articulator is the lower lip and the passive articulator is the edge of the upper front teeth.
3. Dental: -the active articulator is the tongue tip or the blade and the passive articulator is the edge of the upper
front teeth. The tip of the tongue moves up against the upper teeth but does not make a firm contact with the
teeth.
4. Alveolar: - the active articulator is the tip or the blade of the tongue and the passive articulator is the alveolar
ridge. The tip of the tongue moves against the alveolar ridge.
5. Palatal: -the active articulator is the front of the tongue and the passive articulator is the hard palate. The front of
the tongue moves against the hard palate.
6. Post-alveolar: -active articulator is the blade and the passive articulator is the place immediately behind the
alveolar ridge.
7. Velar: - the active articulator is the back of the tongue and the passive articulator is the soft palate.
8. Glottal:the articulators are the vocal folds, both of which are active.
9. NB. In English, “Retroflex” and “Uvular” consonants do not exist.
 Manner of Articulation (Stricture)
• Consonants are also described according to the degree of constriction in the vocal tract; the degree of
obstruction to the flow of air. The obstruction to the flow of air differs depending on the type of consonant
that is being made.
1. Narrowing with Friction/Close Approximation: -This is a stricture formed with a narrowing in the vocal
tract, which causes friction. Two organs come together to obstruct the air, but the obstruction does not
cause a total blockage to the flow of the airstream.
2. Partial Closure/Open App/Narrowing without Friction: - This is a type of articulation that involves a partial
or a narrowing in the vocal tract without friction or noise.
3. Lateral approximant: -articulators form partial but firm closure at the alveolar ridge; the airstream is
allowed to escape laterally through one or both sides of the tongue.
4. Central approximant: -articulators form partial closure at some point in the oral cavity; the airstream is
allowed to escape through the central part of the togue.
5. Intermittent Closure: - Trill or Roll- is made with series of rapid intermittent closures by the tongue tip
against the roof of the mouth; e.g. [r] the tongue tip trills against the alveolar ridge.
• Total/complete closure: - This type of stricture involves a complete closure; there is a complete blockage of
the airstream; the two articulators are in firm contact for an appreciable amount of time.
 Plosives/ stops:
There are three types of stops:
oral stops (plosives), nasal stops (nasals), and affricates

• Oral stops (plosives)

• In common with most other languages, English has three pairs of
voiceless (- v)/ voiced (+v) oral stops / plosives:

(1) (2) (3)

• (- v) (+v) (- v) (+v) (-v)/ (+v)
• /p/ - /b/, /t/ - /d/ /k/ - /g/
• Bilabial Alveolar Velar
/p/ voiceless bilabial stop/plosive,
• spelt, e.g. ‘p’ or ‘pp’ as in
• pen, speak, people, apple, approve,
/pen/ /spi:k/ /pi:pl/ /əpl/ / əprouv/
• It is silent in ‘pneumonia, psychology, psalm, ptarmigan, receipt, cupboard, raspberry, coup

•/b/ voiced bilabial stop/plosive,

• spelt e.g. b, in
• bag, bad, bib, about
• /bæg/ /bæd/ /bib/ /əbaut/
• bb as in ebb, Abby
/eb/ / bi/
• it is silent in limb, bomb, thumb, debt, subtle, doubt, comb, plumb
/t/ voiceless alveolar stop/plosive,
spelt: e.g. t- or tt
• ten, table, took, little
• /ten/ /teibl/ /tuk/ /litəl/
• Pronounced as /t/ with -ed participle in verbs ending with voiceless consonants, e.g.
• jumped looked, laughed, guessed,
• /dʒʌmpt/, /lukt/ /lfæt/ /gest/
It’s silent in ‘castle, hasten, Christmas, mortgage, listen (*often is sometimes pronounced /oftn/ and sometimes
/ofn/).
• /d/voiced alveolar stop/plosive,
• spelt; d in words like:
• dog, mad, bad order,
• /dog/ /mæd/ /bæd/ /o:də/
• dd in words like:
• ladder, bladder, address adapt
• /ldæə/ /bldæə/ /ədres/ /ədpæt/
• silent in e.g. sandwich, handsome, landscape, grandfather, groundnut, handkerchief,
Wednesday, cadge.
/k/ voiceless velar stop/plosive, Spelt:

k——
king, keep, revoke, bank, turkey
/kiŋ/ /ki:p/ /rivouk/ /baŋk/ /tə:ki/
• c——
carpet, cord, caught, cow, coconut,
/ka:pt/ /ko:d/ /kaut/ /kau/ /kəkənʌt/
• qu, que, qu ——
conquer, unique, banquet, bouquet, mosquito,
/koŋkə/ /ju:ni:k/ /baŋkwit/ /bukei/ /moskitu:/
quite, quilt, inquire, queer, quest
/kwait/ /kilt/ /inkwaiə/ /kwi:ə/ /kwist/
• cc——
accused, occur, accommodation, account, occasion, /
/əkju:zd/ /əkeiə/ /əkəməndeiʃn/ /əkaunt/ /okeidʒn/
• ch-
stomach, chemist, character, chorus, echo,
/stomək/ /kemest/ /kærəktə/ /kourʌs/ /eko/
• ck-
chicken, neck, buttocks, hemlock, creaky,
/tʃiken/ /nek/ /bʌtoks/ /hemlock/ /kri:ki/
• Note: the silent c or k in muscles, knew, knit, knife, knowledge, knot, knock, etc.
/g/- voiced velar stop/plosive spelt:

• g- go, gourd, geese, agree,

• /gəu/ /graund/ /gi:z/ /əgri:/
• gg- egg, aggravate, aggressive eggplant
• /eg/ /əgriveit/ /əgresiv/ /egplænt/
• gh- ghost, dinghy, ghastly, spaghetti,
• /goust/ /dingi/ /gæstli/ /spægeti/
• gu, gue- league, guilt, vague, guitar, guess,
• /li:g/ /gilt/ /veig/ /gita:/ /ges/
• note: silent in gnaw, gnat, diaphragm, sign, reign, foreign, campaign, gnome, gnash, sign, etc.
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