This document provides an overview of pronunciation basics, including the classification of consonant and vowel sounds. It discusses the vocal organs involved in sound production and how consonants can be classified by place and manner of articulation, as well as voicing. It also covers how vowels are classified based on tongue position, height, and lip rounding. The document describes sound phenomena such as linking, reduction, deletion, and alteration of sounds. It introduces suprasegmentals of stress and intonation, and provides exercises for practicing different sounds and suprasegmental features.

1. Understanding the
Basics of
Pronunciation

2. The Vocal Organs

3. Exercise #1
Click here and read the explanations on
each of the vocal organs.
Notice which organs are involved in the
production of sounds like /s/, /g/, /θ/, /ʃ/, /j/

4. How can consonant sounds
be classified?
Place of articulation
Form of articulation
Voicing

5. Place of Articulation
Bilabial: Two lips. E.g. /m/, /p/
Labiodental: Lower lip and upper front
teeth. E.g. /f/, /v/
Dental: Tongue tip or blade and upper
front teeth. E.g. /θ/, /ð/
Alveolar: Tongue tip or blade and
alveolar ridge. E.g./t/, /d/

6. Place of Articulation
Retroflex: Tongue tip or blade and the
back of the alveolar ridge. E.g. /r/
Palato-alveolar: Tongue blade and the
back of the alveolar ridge. E.g. /ʃ/
Palatal: Front of the tongue and hard
palate. E.g./j/
Velar: back of the tongue and soft palate.
E.g. /g/, /ŋ/

7. Exercise #2
Click here to see the complete
classification of sounds according to their
place of articulation and get familiar with
the phonetic symbols for each sound.

8. Manner of Articulation
 Oral stop / Plosive: Complete closure of the
articulators involved so that the airstream cannot
escape. When the articulators come apart, the
airstream is released in a small burst of sound. E.g.
/p/, /b/.
 Nasal: The airstream is prevented from going out
through the mouth, so it goes out through the nose.
E.g. /m/, /ŋ/
 Fricative: close approximation of two articulators so
that the airstream is partially obstructed and turbulent
airflow is produced. E.g. / z/, /θ/, /ð/
 Approximant: an articulation in which one articulation
is close to another, but without the vocal tract being
narrowed to such an extent that a turbulent airstream
is produced. E.g. /j/

9. Manner of Articulation
 Lateral approximant: obstruction of the
airstream at a point along the center of the oral
tract with incomplete closure between one or
both sides of the tongue and the roof of the
mouth. E.g. /l/
 Affricate: a combination of a stop followed by a
fricative. E.g. /tʃ/
 Tap: It exists in many forms of American English
in the middle of words like in pity or lady, usually
when t or d are between two vowels. It’s a single
tap against the alveolar ridge.

10. Exercise # 3
Click here to see the complete
classification of sounds according to their
manner of articulation and practice the
sounds by clicking on the symbols.

11. Voicing
Voiced
Voiceless
Follow the links and read the explanations for these
categories there. Notice the difference between them.

12. Exercise # 4
Click here and practice with the exercises
provided. Focus on the sounds you find
the most difficult.

13. How can vowels sounds be
classified?
Front-back position of the
tongue
Height of the body of the tongue
Lip rounding

14. Front-Back Position of the Tongue
Front vowels: The highest point of the
tongue is in the front of the mouth.
/i/, / /, /e/, /æ/ɪ
Central vowels: The tongue is in its
neutral rest position. /ə/, / /ʌ
Back vowels: The tongue is close to
the upper or back surface of the vocal
tract. / /, / /, /u/, / /ɔ ʊ ɑ

15. Height of the Body of the Tongue
High: The body of the tongue is raised
up to the roof of the mouth. /i/, / /, / /,ɪ ʊ
/u/
Mid: The body of the tongue is raised
up to the middle of the mouth. /ə/, / /,ʌ
/e/, / /ɔ
Low: The body of the tongue rests in
the lower part of the mouth. / /, /æ/ɑ

16. Lip Rounding
Rounded: Pronounced forward
movement of the corners of the lips.
E.g./u/, / /ɔ
Unrounded: Soft forward movement
of the lips. E.g. /i/, /æ/

17. The Articulation of Vowel
Sounds

18. Exercise # 5
Practice the different vowel sounds by
following the links below. Notice how each
sound is produced:
Simple vowels (monophthongs):
Complex vowels (diphthongs):
A comparative study of vowels:

19. Sounds Phenomena
1. Sounds are linked:
 Consonant to consonant: same place of
articulation –E.g..Bus stop, stop boasting.
Different place of articulation
–E.g.Bought some, waited for.
 Consonant to vowel:
Red apple, famous actor
 Vowels to vowels:
Go over, See her

20. Sounds Phenomena
2. Sounds are reduced:
Or: /ər/
Have: / əv/
3. Sounds are deleted:
/h/ in him/her
/th/ them

21. Sounds Phenomena
4.4. Sounds are altered:
Gotta
Wanna
Gonna
5. Sounds are contracted:
Isn’t, haven’t, I’ll, won’t, they’re, they’ve…

22. Suprasegmentals
Vowels and consonants can be thought of as
segments of which speech is composed.
Together they form syllables, which go to make
utterances. Superimposed on the syllables are
other features known as suprasegmentals. They
are characterized by the fact that they must be
described in relation to other items in the same
utterance. These include:
 Stress
 Intonation

23. Stress
Variations in stress are caused by an increase in the
activity of the respiratory muscles (so that a greater
amount of air is pushed out of the lungs) and in the
activity of the laryngeal muscles (so that there is a
significant change in pitch)
Functions
 Grammatical:
To distinguish between a noun and a verb as in “(an)
insult” Vs “to insult”.
 Pragmatic:
For contrastive emphasis as in “I want a red pen, not a
black one”.

24. Exercise # 6
1. I said she might consider a new haircut.
2. I said she might consider a new haircut.
3. I said she might consider a new haircut.
4. I said she might consider a new haircut.
5. I said she might consider a new haircut.
6. I said she might consider a new haircut.
7. I said she might consider a new haircut.
a. Not just a haircut.
b. It's a possibility.
c. It was my idea.
d. Not something else.
e. Don't you understand me?
f. Not another person.
g. She should think about it. it's a good
idea.
Say the sentence aloud using the stress word marked in yellow. Once you
have spoken the sentence a few times, match the sentence version to the
meaning in front. You will find the answers to this quiz on the following
page.
If you want to do further practice of word stress patterns, click here.

25. Intonation
Intonation is the system of levels (rising
and falling) and variations in pitch
sequences within sentences. It varies
depending on the speaker’s attitude.
Pitch changes due to variations in
laryngeal activity can occur independently
of stress changes. When they do, they can
affect the meaning of the sentence as a
whole.

26. Exercise # 7
Listen to the conversation that you will find
by clicking here and take the quiz. Notice
how intonation allows us to add particular
shades of meaning to what we say.
Click here for information on how to teach
stress and intonation patterns