Articulation basis of English

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 816.

Due to the identical structure of speech organs of people of different races and nationalities, all languages have sounds of identical types (e.g. "Rus­sian /H/ and English /n/). But being identical typologically, the sounds are not identical articulatorily. Their articulatory distinctions are explained by the fact that each language has its own tendencies and modes of articulation. These articulatory habits are called the articulation basis of the language.The articulation basis of English differs from that of Russian: voiced consonants are less energetic, whereas voiceless consonants are much more energetic.In English, the tongue, when articulating, is characterized by laxity. In articulating the front vowels it is not pushed so far forward, nor in the back vowels drawn so far back. The notion of the articulation basis of a language can be broadened if we analyse not only the articulation part in sound production but phonation as well. The phonational habits of the native speakers of different languages may differ depending on the character of sounds. The phonational habits may also be dependent on the amount of consonants that occur in con­sonantal clusters. The peculiarities of the articulation basis of English determine the specific articulatory characteristics of its sound system, the character of sound modifications in connected speech and the physiological mechanism of syllable formation.