English consonant phonemes: classification, modification in connected speech.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 704.

Linguists distinguish 3 criteria according which consonants are divided into classes: 1) Absence/presence of the articulatory abstraction to the air stream in larynges, farings, mouth and nasal cavity. 2) Concentrated or defused character of muscular tension in the production of speech sound. 3) Force of exhalation. Consonants – are sounds in the production of which there is an abstraction of any kind, muscular tension is concentrated, and force of exhalation is rather strong. There is a group of sounds – sonorants – which occupy an intermediate position between noise consonants and vowels. They possess features common to both classes. There are 24 consonant sounds. 1) The degree of noise. 2) The manner of articulation. The types of abstraction are distinguished according to the degree to which the air passage is abstracted and the manner in which it is obstructed: 1) In case of incomplete abstraction the air passage is constricted to such an extend that the noise of friction is produced. Consonants produced in such a way called – constrictive (both sonorants and noise). Within constrictive sonorants 2 types are distinguished according to the place where the air passage is formed. If the air passage is closed at the mid line of the tongue and opened at one side – lateral sonorant [l]. If the air passage is open along the mid line of the tongue and close at the sides – medial sonorants [r, w, j]. Within the fricatives 2 classes are distinguished according to the form of narrowing: flat [f, v, th, ‘th]; when the narrowing is narrow or groove-like [s, z]. 2) Complete abstraction – the air passage is completely stopped by one speech organ pressed against another speech organ – occlusive. A complete obstruction can be prevented in 3 ways: Go round it by lowering the soft palate. Through the nasal cavity – nasal occlusive sonorants [m, n, ‘n].; To separate the speech organs quickly over the whole area of their contact. The air bursts out of the mouth cavity with the noise of explosion – noise occlusive consonants [p, b, t, d, k, g] - stops,; To separate the speech organs slowly and gradually. The complete abstraction turns into incomplete. Conclusion =/ constriction. Consonants are called – occlusive constrictive affricates [tsh, dgh]. 3) Intermittent abstraction – is produced when a series of rapid taps are made by an active organ against a passive one. The tip of the tongue against a teeth ridge – [p]. 3) Place of articulation which is determined by the active organs of speech against the passive ones. Jones accepted criteria according the place of articulation (passive): bilabial consonants [p, b]; labio-dental [f, v]; dental [th, ‘th]; alveolar [t, d, n, s, z]; post-alveolar [r]; palatal-alveolar [sh, gh, tsh, dgh]; palatal [j]; velar [k, g, ‘n]. Linguists accepted both passive and active criteria: labial (bilabial, labio-dental) [p, b, f, v, w]; lingual (forelingual: apical [t, d, n], dorsal [no such in E.], cacuminal [r], retroflex Am.E. [r].mediolingual [j]. backlingual [k, g].); glottal [h]. 4) Number of abstraction: Unicentral (1 abstraction); Bicentral (2 abstractions): front secondary focus [tsh, dgh, sh, gh, l]; back secondary focus (vilarization) [w, l (dark variant) ]. 5) Vibration of vocal chords: Voicless [p, t, k, tsh, sh]; voiced. 6) The degree of energy: voiced are lenis/weak; voiceless are forties/strong. 7) The position of the soft palate: oral. Air stream goes through the mouth cavity, because the soft palate is raised; nose. Air stream goes through the nose cavity because the soft palate is lowered.