This document discusses consonants and introduces the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). It defines consonants as sounds created by an obstruction of airflow in the mouth, in contrast to vowels which have a relatively unobstructed path. Consonants are distinguished by their voicing, manner, and place of articulation. Voicing refers to whether the vocal cords vibrate (voiced) or not (voiceless). Manner describes how the obstruction of airflow is made, such as stops which block airflow momentarily, or fricatives which create turbulence. Place indicates where in the vocal tract the obstruction occurs, such as bilabial or velar. The document provides examples of consonants in the English language and

1. Phonetics for field methods
Understanding consonants and
introducing the IPA

2. What is a consonant
• Something that is not a vowel
– Vowels relatively obstruction-free path through
the mouth
– Consonants are created through creating some
kind of mouth shape through which the air must
escape.
• We can distinguish consonants from each
other by examining with reference to three
qualities: voicing, manner, place

3. Voicing
• Many types of consonants can be contrasted in the quality
of their voicing
• Voiceless consonants are produced with the vocal folds
(often referred to as the vocal cords) are apart
• Voiced consonants are produced with the vocal folds held
together. This means air must push between them forcing
them to vibrate.
• You can feel this vibration when saying sounds that you can
hold or draw out such as:
• /zzzzzzzzzzzz/ now say /sssssssssssss/
• You should notice tha tyour mouth stays roughly in the
same shape, but the buzzing switches off for the /s/
sequence

4. Place
• The flow of air from lungs to outside the body
follows the pathway known as the vocal tract
• Along the tract the air passes over, through
and below various places which can
manipulate the sound qualities.
• The different places are represented on the
picture:

5. Places in the vocal tract

6. Stops or plosives
Non-continuant sounds
3 phases
blocking the air at point in the mouth
holding the air for ‘a beat’ to build pressure
the release (the audible phase)
English has a series of stops that you will recognised from this
detail of the IPA chart, /p/ and /b/ /t/ and /d/ and /k/ and
/g/

7. English stops
• They constitute the 3 pairs of stops
• Within each pair is a voicing contrast.
• The left of the pair is always voiceless
• Just because English has both pair partners does
not mean all languages have both. Polynesian
languages for example only have voiceless stops.
• Note that the glottal stop has no voiced
counterpart – hence is grey shading.

8. fricatives
• Fricatives are similar to stops except for the notion of
blockage
• Rather than a complete blockage, fricatives produce
a narrowing of the vocal tract
• Create a noisy frication-y sound
• This sounds can be held onto continuously
• Can be voiced or voiceless

9. Nasals
• Air released through the nasal cavity
• Like stops, there is a complete blockage somewhere
in the vocal tract - the oral portion
• Like fricatives in that there is continuous flow
through the nasal cavity
• Usually voiced but some languages have voiceless
nasals