2 - Consonants
from Part I - Words . . .
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
Summary
In most standard accents of English, there are twenty-four consonants, and they are grouped into five types: plosives, nasals, fricatives, affricates and approximants.
Plosives
Plosives are usually introduced first because the kind of constriction in the mouth by which they are produced is total. There are six of them: /p, b, t, d, k, g/
/p/ and /b/ are produced with the constriction at the lips (bilabial). In the case of /p/, the vocal folds (cords) produce no voicing, and so /p/ is consequently known as a voiceless plosive.
/t/ and /d/ are produced with the constriction of the blade of the tongue against the ridge behind the upper teeth (alveolar); /t/ is voiceless.
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- Information
- Transcribing the Sound of EnglishA Phonetics Workbook for Words and Discourse, pp. 38 - 55Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011