Phonetics for field methods

Understanding consonants and introducing the IPA

What is a consonant

• Something that is not a vowel– Vowels relatively obstruction-free path through

the mouth– Consonants are created through creating some

kind of mouth shape through which the air must escape.

• We can distinguish consonants from each other by examining with reference to three qualities: voicing, manner, place

Voicing• Many types of consonants can be contrasted in the quality of

their voicing• Voiceless consonants are produced with the vocal folds (often

referred to as the vocal cords) are apart• Voiced consonants are produced with the vocal folds held

together. This means air must push between them forcing them to vibrate.

• You can feel this vibration when saying sounds that you can hold or draw out such as:

• /zzzzzzzzzzzz/ now say /sssssssssssss/ • You should notice tha tyour mouth stays roughly in the same

shape, but the buzzing switches off for the /s/ sequence

Place

• The flow of air from lungs to outside the body follows the pathway known as the vocal tract

• Along the tract the air passes over, through and below various places which can manipulate the sound qualities.

• The different places are represented on the picture:

Places in the vocal tract

Stops or plosives

Non-continuant sounds3 phases

blocking the air at point in the mouthholding the air for ‘a beat’ to build pressurethe release (the audible phase)

English has a series of stops that you will recognised from this detail of the IPA chart, /p/ and /b/ /t/ and /d/ and /k/ and /g/

English stops

• They constitute the 3 pairs of stops • Within each pair is a voicing contrast.• The left of the pair is always voiceless• Just because English has both pair partners

does not mean all languages have both. Polynesian languages for example only have voiceless stops.

• Note that the glottal stop has no voiced counterpart – hence is grey shading.

fricatives

• Fricatives are similar to stops except for the notion of blockage

• Rather than a complete blockage, fricatives produce a narrowing of the vocal tract

• Create a noisy frication-y sound• This sounds can be held onto continuously• Can be voiced or voiceless

Nasals

• Air released through the nasal cavity• Like stops, there is a complete blockage somewhere in

the vocal tract - the oral portion

• Like fricatives in that there is continuous flow through the nasal cavity

• Usually voiced but some languages have voiceless nasals