How do we classify consonants?
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Caleb Wright
Works at Oracle, Lives in Redwood City, CA
As a linguistic expert with a deep understanding of phonetics and phonology, I can provide a comprehensive overview of how consonants are classified. The classification of consonants is a fundamental aspect of understanding the sounds of human language, and it can be approached from various perspectives. Here, we'll focus on the articulatory and acoustic features that distinguish one consonant from another.
### Articulatory Classification
1. Manner of Articulation: This refers to how the airflow is modified to create a consonant sound. The primary manners of articulation include:
- Plosives: Also known as stops, these are produced by completely blocking the airflow and then releasing it suddenly, as in /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, and /g/.
- Fricatives: These sounds are made by narrowing the vocal tract, which causes the air to be forced through a small opening, creating friction, as in /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, and /ʒ/.
- Nasals: Airflow is directed through the nose while the oral cavity is blocked, as in /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/.
- Laterals: The tongue blocks the central airflow but leaves a gap on one or both sides, as in /l/.
- Approximants: These are sounds where the articulators come close together but do not constrict the airflow significantly, as in /j/, /w/, and /r/ in some languages.
2. Place of Articulation: This describes where in the mouth the primary constriction or closure is made. Common places of articulation include:
- Bilabial: The lips come together, as in /p/, /b/, /m/.
- Labiodental: The lower front teeth touch the upper lip, as in /f/, /v/.
- Dental: The tongue touches the upper teeth, as in some varieties of /θ/ and /ð/.
- Alveolar: The tongue touches the alveolar ridge just behind the teeth, as in /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/.
- Palatal: The tongue is raised toward the hard palate, as in /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /j/.
- Velar: The back of the tongue touches the velum (soft palate), as in /k/, /g/, /ŋ/.
- Uvular: The back of the tongue touches the uvula, as in /ʁ/ and /ʕ/ in some languages.
- Glottal: The closure is made at the glottis, as in /h/.
### Acoustic Classification
1. Voiced and Voiceless: This distinction is based on the vibration of the vocal cords during the production of the sound.
- Voiced: The vocal cords vibrate, as in /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /z/, /ʒ/.
- Voiceless: The vocal cords do not vibrate, as in /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /s/, /ʃ/.
2. Sonorants and Obstruents: This classification is based on the loudness and resonance of the sound.
- Sonorants: These are sounds that are more resonant and less noisy, including vowels, approximants, and some nasals.
- Obstruents: These are sounds that are more noisy and less resonant, including plosives, fricatives, and affricates.
### Additional Considerations
- Aspirated and Unaspirated: Some consonants can be aspirated, which means a strong burst of air accompanies the release of the sound, as in the English word "top" (/th/ is aspirated) compared to "stop" (/th/ is unaspirated).
- Tense and Lax: This refers to the muscular tension in the vocal tract; tense consonants are produced with more tension.
- Syllabic Consonants: Some consonants can act as syllable nuclei, functioning similarly to vowels, as in the coda /l/ in the word "bottle."
Understanding these classifications is crucial for the study of phonology, which is the branch of linguistics concerned with the study of the sound systems of languages and the organization of sounds in spoken words. By analyzing the manner and place of articulation, as well as the acoustic properties of consonants, linguists can describe and compare the phonetic inventories of different languages, contributing to our understanding of the diversity and universality of human speech.
### Articulatory Classification
1. Manner of Articulation: This refers to how the airflow is modified to create a consonant sound. The primary manners of articulation include:
- Plosives: Also known as stops, these are produced by completely blocking the airflow and then releasing it suddenly, as in /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, and /g/.
- Fricatives: These sounds are made by narrowing the vocal tract, which causes the air to be forced through a small opening, creating friction, as in /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, and /ʒ/.
- Nasals: Airflow is directed through the nose while the oral cavity is blocked, as in /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/.
- Laterals: The tongue blocks the central airflow but leaves a gap on one or both sides, as in /l/.
- Approximants: These are sounds where the articulators come close together but do not constrict the airflow significantly, as in /j/, /w/, and /r/ in some languages.
2. Place of Articulation: This describes where in the mouth the primary constriction or closure is made. Common places of articulation include:
- Bilabial: The lips come together, as in /p/, /b/, /m/.
- Labiodental: The lower front teeth touch the upper lip, as in /f/, /v/.
- Dental: The tongue touches the upper teeth, as in some varieties of /θ/ and /ð/.
- Alveolar: The tongue touches the alveolar ridge just behind the teeth, as in /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/.
- Palatal: The tongue is raised toward the hard palate, as in /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /j/.
- Velar: The back of the tongue touches the velum (soft palate), as in /k/, /g/, /ŋ/.
- Uvular: The back of the tongue touches the uvula, as in /ʁ/ and /ʕ/ in some languages.
- Glottal: The closure is made at the glottis, as in /h/.
### Acoustic Classification
1. Voiced and Voiceless: This distinction is based on the vibration of the vocal cords during the production of the sound.
- Voiced: The vocal cords vibrate, as in /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /z/, /ʒ/.
- Voiceless: The vocal cords do not vibrate, as in /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /s/, /ʃ/.
2. Sonorants and Obstruents: This classification is based on the loudness and resonance of the sound.
- Sonorants: These are sounds that are more resonant and less noisy, including vowels, approximants, and some nasals.
- Obstruents: These are sounds that are more noisy and less resonant, including plosives, fricatives, and affricates.
### Additional Considerations
- Aspirated and Unaspirated: Some consonants can be aspirated, which means a strong burst of air accompanies the release of the sound, as in the English word "top" (/th/ is aspirated) compared to "stop" (/th/ is unaspirated).
- Tense and Lax: This refers to the muscular tension in the vocal tract; tense consonants are produced with more tension.
- Syllabic Consonants: Some consonants can act as syllable nuclei, functioning similarly to vowels, as in the coda /l/ in the word "bottle."
Understanding these classifications is crucial for the study of phonology, which is the branch of linguistics concerned with the study of the sound systems of languages and the organization of sounds in spoken words. By analyzing the manner and place of articulation, as well as the acoustic properties of consonants, linguists can describe and compare the phonetic inventories of different languages, contributing to our understanding of the diversity and universality of human speech.
2024-04-12 08:13:54
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Studied at the University of Toronto, Lives in Toronto, Canada.
PHONOLOGY: CONSONANTS. All consonants may be classified as either voiced or voiceless. In articulating a voiced consonant, the vocal cords are vibrating. ... In articulating an unvoiced consonant, the vocal cords are not vibrating.
2023-06-19 06:30:20
Eleanor Harris
QuesHub.com delivers expert answers and knowledge to you.
PHONOLOGY: CONSONANTS. All consonants may be classified as either voiced or voiceless. In articulating a voiced consonant, the vocal cords are vibrating. ... In articulating an unvoiced consonant, the vocal cords are not vibrating.
