Places of Articulation of English consonant Phonemes

Places of Articulation of English consonant Phonemes

The English consonant phonemes are produced by different articulators at different points in the vocal tract. The different points of articulation are called places of articulation. According to the places of articulation, the English consonant phonemes are divided into nine types:

1.      Bilabial consonant phonemes: The phonemes which are produced by the two lips are called bilabial phonemes. The English language has four bilabial consonant phonemes/ p b m w/.

2.      Dental consonant phonemes: The English language has two dental consonant phonemes/θ ð/.To articulate a dental consonant phoneme, the tip of the tongue is slightly pushed between the upper front teeth and the lower front teeth.

3.      Labio-dental consonant phonemes: The English language has two labio-dental consonant phonemes/f, v/. To produce each of the labio-dental consonant phonemes, a contact is made between the upper front teeth and the lower lip.

4.      Alveolar consonant phonemes: The English language has six alveolar consonant phonemes,/ t, d, s, z ,l , n/. To articulate an alveolar consonant phoneme, a contact is made between the blade of the tongue and the upper alveolar ridge.

5.      Palatal consonant phoneme: The English language has only one palatal consonant phoneme/j/. This phoneme is produced by making a contact between the middle of the tongue and the hard palate.

6.      Post-alveolar consonant phoneme: The English language has one post-alveolar consonant phoneme /r/. To pronounce this phoneme a contact is made between the blade of the tongue and the post part of the alveolar ridge.

7.      Palato-alveolar consonant phonemes: The English language has four palato-alveolar consonant phonemes./∫ z t∫  dz /. These phonemes are produced by making a contact between the tongue, the alveolar ridge and the hard palate.

8.      Velar consonant phonemes: The English language has three velar consonant phonemes/ k g ŋ /. These phonemes are produced by making a contact between the back of the tongue and the soft palate.

9.      Glottal consonant phoneme: The English language has only one Glottal consonant phoneme/h/. This phoneme is articulated by using the open state of the vocal glottis.

*Manners of articulation of English consonant phonemes:

·         Speech organs or articulators:

·         Voiced and voiceless sounds:

·         Lenis and Fortis: