This document provides an overview of English consonants. It begins with key facts about the number of consonant sounds and letters in English. The bulk of the document then covers: defining consonants; classifying them by place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing; describing individual consonants; and identifying consonants from descriptions. Places of articulation include bilabial, labiodental, dental, alveolar, retroflex, palatoalveolar, palatal, velar, and glottal. Manners include stops, nasals, fricatives, affricates, laterals, and approximants.

1. CHAPTER 3
CONSONANTS

2. STARTING UP
How many consonant sounds are
there in English phonetics?
24
How many letters of the English
alphabet are consonant sounds
conveyed?
21

3. OULINE
1. Definition
2. Classification
 According to place of articulation
 According to manner of articulation
 According to voicing
3. Describing consonants
4. Identifying consonants
3

4. 1. DEFINITION
 Consonants are the sounds in
the production of which one
articulator moves towards
another or two articulators
come together, obstructing
the air-stream and the air-
stream can’t get out freely.

5. 2. CLASSIFICATION
According to place of articulation
According to manner of articulation
According to voicing

6.  In order to form consonants, the air-stream through
the vocal cords must be obstructed
in some ways.
 Therefore, consonants can be classified according to:
 the place where the air-stream is obstructed
(the place of articulation)
 the way in which the air- stream is obstructed
(the manner of articulation).
2.1 ACCORDING TO
PLACE OF ARTICULATION

8. PLACES ARTICULATORS
Bilabial Upper lip + lower lip
Labio-dental Lower lip + upper teeth
Dental Teeth + tongue
Alveolar Alveolar ridge + tongue
Retroflex Back of alveolar ridge + tongue
Palato - alveolar Join of hard palate & alveolar ridge + tongue
Palatal Hard palate + tongue
Velar Soft palate + tongue
Glottal Vocal cords

9.  Bilabials: are
the sounds made with
the two lips pressed
together or
coming together.
e.g. [p], [b], [m]

10.  Labio-dentals: are the
sounds which are
produced with the
lower lip touching
the upper front teeth.
e.g. [f] , [v]

11.  Dentals: are the sounds which are produced
with the tip or blade of the tongue touching
the upper front teeth.
e.g. [θ] , [ð]

12.  Alveolars: are the sounds which
are produced with the tip or blade of
the tongue touching or approaching
the alveolar ridge.
e.g. [t] , [d]

13.  Retroflex: is the sound which is produced
with the tip of the tongue curling back
towards the back of the alveolar ridge.
e.g. [r]

14.  Palato - alveolars: are the
sounds which are produced
with the tongue tip or blade
coming close to the area
between the back of the
alveolar ridge and the front of
the hard palate.
 Palato-
alveolar are postalveolar
consonants, nearly
always sibilants, that are
weakly palatalized with a
domed (bunched-up) tongue.
e.g. [ʃ], [ʒ]

15.  Palatal: is the sound which is produced
with the front of the tongue coming close
to the hard palate.
e.g. [j]

16.  Velars: are the sounds
which are produced with
the back of the tongue
touching the soft palate.
e.g. [k], [g], [ŋ]

17.  Glottals: are the sounds which are
produced without the active use of the
tongue and other parts of the mouth.
e.g. [h]

18. 2.2 ACCORDING TO
MANNER OF ARTICULATION
 Manner of articulation is the way in which the
air-stream is obstructed or altered in the
production of speech sounds. It describes the
types of obstruction caused by the narrowing
or closure of the articulators.

19. MOVEMENT OF ARTICULATORS
Oral
Stop
Nasal
Complete closure
Complete closure in the mouth,
air escapes through nose
Fricative Narrowing, resulting in audible friction
Affricate Closure
then slow separation
Lateral Closure in centre of mouth
air escapes down sides
Approximant Slight narrowing, not enough
to cause friction

20. 1. Stops: are the sounds in the production of which
there is a complete closure of the articulators
involved so that the air-stream can’t escape
through the mouth. There are two kinds of stops:
a. Oral stops (Plosives): are the sounds which
are produced with the air-stream being
stopped in the oral cavity and the soft palate is
raised blocking off the nasal cavity. Then the
two articulators come apart quickly and the air
escapes through the oral tract.
e.g. /t/, /d/

21. • Nasal stops (Nasals): they are produced
with the air- stream being stopped in the oral
cavity but the soft palate is down so that the
air can go out through the nose.
e.g.: /n/
• Notes: Although both oral stops and nasal
stops can be classified as “stops”, the term
“stop” itself is almost used by phoneticians to
indicate an oral stop, and the term “nasal” to
indicate a nasal stop.

22. 2. Fricatives: are the sounds in the production of
which two articulators come close together but
there is still a small opening between them so
the air-stream is partially obstructed and an
audible friction noise (a hissing sound) is
produced.
e.g. [f], [v], [θ], [ð], [s], [z], [ʃ], [ʒ]
• Notes: Fricatives are continuants consonants
which means that you can continue making
them as long as you have enough air in your
lungs.

23. 3. Affricates: are the sounds which are
produced when a stop is immediately
followed by a fricative.
e.g. [ʃ], [dʒ]
4. Lateral: is the sound which is made when
the air-stream is obstructed at a point
along the centre of the oral tract, with
incomplete closure between one or both
sides of the tongue and the roof of the
mouth.
e.g. [l]

24. 5. Approximants: are the sounds in the
production of which two articulators come
close together but without the vocal tract
being narrowed to such an extent that a
friction noise is produced.
e.g. [w]
Notes:
Approximants are called frictionless
continuants.

25. 1. Voiced consonants: are produced when the
vocal cords are vibrating.
e.g. /b/, /g/
2. Voiceless consonants: are produced when
the vocal cords are not vibrating.
e.g. /p/, /k/
2.3 ACCORDING TO
VOICING

26. Voiced
Consonants
Voiceless
Consonants
/b/ back, above /p/ pencil, drop
/d/ day, need /t/ two, wait
/g/ gold, rug /k/ candy, awake
/v/ very, give /f/ find, before
/ð/ the, this /ɵ/ thin, with
/z/ zone, has /s/ see, city
/ʒ/ measure, beige /ʃ/ she, dish
/dʒ/ jeans, enjoy /tʃ/ change, rich
/m/ make, same
/n/, no, town
/ŋ/ sing, pink
/l/ look, believe
/r/ red, car

27. Fortis and lenis
• A voiced/voiceless pair such as /s/ and /z/ are distinguished
not only by the presence or absence of voice but also by the
degree of breath and muscular effort involved in the
articulation.
• It is generally said that those English consonants which are
usually voiced tend to be articulated with relatively weak
energy, whereas those which are always voiceless are
relatively strong.
• Thus, the voiceless consonants are sometimes called
‘fortis’ meaning ‘strong’, and the voiceless consonants in
opposition are then called ‘lenis’ meaning ‘weak’.

28. Fortis and lenis
• Fortis consonants have the effect of
shortening a preceding vowel. The effect is
most noticeable in the case of long vowels
and diphthong, though it does also affect
short vowels.
E.g. See seed seat

29. The description includes
the following information:
a.Voicing
b.Place of articulation
c.Manner of articulation
3. DESCRIBING
ENGLISH CONSONANTS

30. e.g.
 /n/: voiced alveolar nasal
 /s/: voiceless alveolar fricative
3. DESCRIBING
ENGLISH CONSONANTS

31. • A description is given and you have to identify which
sound is being described.
e.g.Voiced velar nasal
voiceless palato-alveolar fricative
voiced bilabial stop
voiced labio-dental fricative
voiced alveolar lateral
voiceless palato-alveolar affricate
voiced dental fricative
4. IDENTIFYING
ENGLISH CONSONANTS

33. Ex 1: Identify the following consonants
/θ/ /ð/ /ʃ/ /ʒ/ /tʃ/ /dʒ/ /ŋ/
 /θ/ – voiceless dental fricative
 /ð/ – voiced dental fricative
 /ʃ/ – voiceless post-alveolar fricative
 /ʒ/ – voiced post-alveolar fricative
 /tʃ/ – voiceless post-alveolar affricate
 /dʒ/ – voiced post-alveolar affricate
 /ŋ/ – velar nasal

34. Ex 2:
COMPLETE THE GRID

35. THANK YOU!