Consonants

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 544.

English vowels

The various qualities of English vowels are determined by the oral resonator — its size, volume and shape. The resonator - movable speech organs — the tongue and the lips. The position of the speech organs in the articulation of vowels may be kept for a variable period of time. All these factors determine the principles according to which vowels are classified: acc to the horizontal movement of the tongue: front (i:, ǽ, e, ei, eə, ai, au), front—retracted(I, iə), mixed (Λ, ə, 3:, əu), b a c k—advanced (u, uə), b a c k (u:, a:, uə, oi, o:, o); acc to the vertical movement of the tongue: close/high (i:, I, iə, u:, u, uə), mid (e, ei, eə, ə, 3:, Λ), open/low(ǽ, a:, ai, au, o:, o); acc to the position of the lips: rounded (o, o:, u, u:), unrounded (all the rest);acc to the degree of muscular tension: tense (long vowels), I a x (short); acc to the force of articulation at the end of the vowel: free, checked; acc to the stability of articulation: monophthongs (I,e, ǽ, a:, Λ, o, o:, u, ə), diphthongs (ei, ai, oi, au, ou, iə, eə, oə, uə), d i p h thongoids(i:, u:); acc to the length long, short.

Consonants –speech sounds in the articulation of which there is an obstruction.There are following types of obstruction in the produc­tion of consonants: complete occlusion; constriction; occlusion—constriction. Classification: acc to the type of obstruction and the manner of articulation: occlusive (plosive – p, b, t, d, k, g; nasal sonorants – m, n, ŋ), constrictive (fricative – f, v, s, z, Ө, ð, ƒ, 3; medial sonorants – w, r, j; lateral sonorant - l), affricates – tƒ, d3; acc to the active organ of speech and place of obstruction: labial (bilabial – p, b, m, w; labio-dental – f, v), lingual (forelingual: apical-alveolar – t, d, n, l, s, z; interdental – Ө, ð; cacuminal – r; palate-alveolar – ƒ, 3, tƒ; midlingual-palatal – j; backlingual-velar – k, g, w, ŋ), glottal – h; acc to the presence or absence of voice: voiced, voiceless; acc to the force of articulation: lenis, fortis; acc to the position of soft palate: oral, nasal (m, n, ŋ).