Description of Places of Articulation

Why is important to know how sounds are articulated?Understanding the process and anatomy of speech can assist teachers in teaching ELL learners.

Sounds can be voiced or voiceless.

Voiced sounds require vibration of the muscles in the larynx that form the vocal bands.

The space between these bands is called the “glottis.”

Speech results from a complex interaction between several systems in the body.

The brain, the sense of hearing, the lungs, larynx, vocal tract, and tongue all work together to produce the sounds of the English language.

plosive affricate fricative

nasal lateral approximant

bilabial Labio-dental dental alveolar

Palato-alveolar

palatal velar glottal

Bilabial sounds: p-bAlveolar sounds: t-dVelar sounds: k-g

Palato- alveolar sounds: tʃ- dʒ

Labio dental: f-vDental sounds: θ- ð

Bilabial sound: mAlveolar sound: nVelar sound: ŋ

Lateral sound: l

Post-alveolar sound: rPalatal semi-vowel: jA labio-velar semi-vowel: w

Bilabial Labiodental

Dental Alveolar Palato-alveolar

Palatal Velar Glottal

Plosive

Affricate

Fricative

Nasal

Lateral

Approximant

1. Approximant and palato- alveolar sound, the tongue is

held behind the alveolar ridge (not touching). Voiced

2. A palatal approximant sound. The tongue is in the

position of a close front vowel (similar to /I/). The soft

palate is raised and the sound glides quickly to the

following vowel /ə/. Voiced

3. A lateral sound, a partial closure is made by the blade of

the tongue against the alveolar ridge. Air is able to flow

around the sides of the tongue. Voiced

4. A plosive bilabial sound, total closure is made using both

lips. The soft palate is raised and is unvoiced.

5. Plosive velar sound, closure is made by the back of the

tongue against the soft palate, it’s unvoiced.

6. Affricate palato alveolar sound. The tongue tip, blade

and rims close against the alveolar ridge and side teeth.

The front of the tongue is raised and when the air is

released there is audible friction, it’s voiced

7. Fricative glottal sound. Air passes from the lungs through

the open glottis, causing audible friction, unvoiced

The English Consonants

Sound Word Sound Word Sound Word

p pet b bet m met

t ten d den n no

k cat g get ŋ sing

f for v very l late

s sorry z zoo r roll

θ thigh ð that j yes

ʃ shoe ʒ rouge w wit

ʧ chirp ʤ judge h he

CONSONANTS

pen, copy, happen back , baby, job

Voiceless Voiced

tea, tight, button

day, ladder, add

key, clock, school

thing, author, path

fat, coffee, rough, photo

soon, cease, sister

get, giggle, ghost

ship, sure, national

view, heavy, move

this, other, smooth

church, match, nature

zero, music, buzz

pleasure, vision

judge, age, soldier

more, hammer, sum

CONSONANTS Nasals Lateral

light, valley, feel

right, wrong, sorry

Glottal

wet, one, when, queen

yet, use, beauty, few

nice, know, funny, sun

ring, anger, thanks, sung

hot, whole, ahead

Approximants

Beginning Middle End

p

k

z

ʒ X

ʃ

dʒ

j

θ

ð

tʃ

/rɪ'vɪ__ən/ /__ɪ'pɑ:rtʃər//'edʒə‘__eɪʃən / /'nɑ:lɪ__ //ˈ___ʌndərstrʌk//'kʌl__ər//ˈ__rekfəst//'ækwə'zɪ__ən / /‘__ɑ:klət / /'eɪn__ənt/

/‘__ɔ:rtʃn> ətli / /'læ__gwɪdʒ/ /əˈblaɪ__d/ /'ædvərtaɪ__ɪŋ / /'læ__tər / /kləʊ__z/ /kən'klu:__ən//'grænˌfɑ:__ər //__ɪs'fɔ:rtʃən / /'kæ__uəl/

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

A peck of pickled peppersPeter Piper picked.

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,

Where is the peck of pickled peppersPeter Piper picked?

A pickled pepper picked a peckOf Peter Pipers.

A peck of Peter PipersA pickled pepper picked.

If a pickled pepper picked a peck of Peter Pipers,

Where is the peck of Peter PipersA pickled pepper picked?

SHE SELLS SEA SHELLS ON THE SEA SHORE , BUT THE SEA SHELLS THAT SHE SELLS, ON THE SEA SHORE ARE NOT THE REAL ONES

If you understand, say "understand" . If you don't understand, say "don't understand". But if you understand and say "don't understand". How do I understand that you understand? Understand!

I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won't wish the wish you wish to wish.

A sailor went to sea to see, what he could see. And all he could see was sea, sea, sea.

If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch?

I thought a thought. But the thought I thought wasn't the thought I thought I thought. If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, I wouldn't have thought so much.

Once a fellow met a fellow In a field of beans. Said a fellow to a fellow, "If a fellow asks a fellow, Can a fellow tell a fellow What a fellow means?"

We surely shall see the sun shine shortly. Whether the weather be fine, Or whether the weather be not, Whether the weather be cold Or whether the weather be hot, We'll weather the weather Whatever the weather, Whether we like it or not. Watch? Whether the weather is hot. Whether the weather is cold. Whether the weather is either or not. It is whether we like it or not.

A flea and a fly in a flue Said the fly "Oh what should we do" Said the flea" Let us fly Said the fly"Let us flee" So they flew through a flaw in the flue

If you tell Tom to tell a tongue-twister his tongue will be twisted as tongue-twister twists tongues.