Sounds in English�
Presentation by:
Dr. Kiran Rakibe
Head, Dept. Of English
KSKW Cidco College, Nashik
Language as a means of Communication���� Verbal Non verbal���� Written Spoken Gestures Body Language�
Verbal�� Written Spoken�� Letters Sounds� (26) (44)�� Consonants Vowels� (24) (20)
��Difference Between Letters and Sounds��Same Letter different sounds ‘O’ as in god,�good, women, come, go��Different letters same sounds /K/ as in kill, come, question, chemistry, duck ���
Each language has its own number of Speech Sounds� � 44 Speech Sounds in RP English�� Consonants Vowels� (24) (20)�� Pure Vowels Diphthongs� (12) (8)�
�� Consonants (24)� Three Term Labels�� Manner of Articulation� Place of Articulation� Position of the Vocal Cords �
Manner of Articulation
Plosives: Plosives are made by making a complete closure between some point and the vocal tract. Pressure builds up behind the closure which is released to create sound.
This group includes the sounds of /p, b t, d, k, g/
The sounds /p/ and /b/ are made by bringing the lower lip to touch the upper lip
1) /p/ is voiceless
2) /b/ is voiced
These are know as Bilabial Plosives
/t d/ - Alveolar ( tip of the tongue and alveolar ridge)
The sounds of /t/ & /d/ are made by raising the tongue to touch the front of the alveolar ridge just behind the teeth.
1) /t/ is voiceless
2) /d/ is voiced
These are know as Alveolar Plosives
The sounds k & g are made by raising the tongue at the back of the mouth to make a complete closure.
/ k/ as in the words come, kill question, chemistry
/g/ as in the words go, gate, tag, ago
These are known as Velar Plosives
/f/ /v/
1) /f/ is voiceless fricative
2) The /v/ is voiced fricative
These sounds are known as Labio-dental Fricatives
Fricatives are made by moving two vocal organs together to restrict the release of sound. The top front teeth are placed on the top of the bottom lip. The sound is squeezed through the small gaps
/f/ as in the words five, cough, rough, half
/v/ as in he words van, video, love
These sounds are made by touching the tongue to the upper teeth, usually just behind the front teeth. Above is shown the way it can be practised by putting the tongue between the front teeth and touching the index finger.
The voiced sound, found in the, there & feather
The voiceless sound found in think, thin & thought
1) / / is voiceless fricative
2) / / is voiced fricative
These sounds are known as dental Fricatives
The tip of the tongue is moved towards the edge of the soft plate and the alveolar ridge. The sound is made by squeezing the sound through the gap.
/s/ as found in the words six, seven, glass & caps
/z/ as found in the words zoo, has, freeze, cars and owns.
These sounds are known as Alveolar Fricatives
The sound ‘sh’ is made by raising the blade of the tongue to make light contact with the soft palate. The sound is squeezed through the gap making a ‘sh’ sound.
The voiceless sound can be found in she, wash, sure & champagne
The voiced sound is found in television & revision
These sounds are know as Palato-alveolar Fricatives
/h/ sound is created by raising the back of the tongue to lightly touch the soft plate, air from the lungs is pushed up past the glottis and through the small gap. /h/ sound is found in – hotel, his, behind & hive.
/h/ is a voiced sound
It is known as a Glottal Fricative
d
These sound are made by combining the two sounds shown here. Affricatives are made by making a complete closure at some point in the mouth, similar to plosives. However, affricatives differ as the air is released slower than a plosive..
as in the words church, crunch and lunch
‘as in Jeans, generator & bridge
The sound ‘ch’ is a voiceless sound where as ‘dg’ is a voiced sound
These sounds are known as Palato-alveolar Affricatives
Nasal sounds are made by making a complete closure in the mouth and allowing the air to escape through the nose. These sounds are made by blocking off part of the mouth by using the tongue. The air moving through the nasal passages creates the sound.
Both the sounds are voiced sounds
2) Song, English & thank. It is known as a Velar Nasal
(This sound is common in words that have ‘ng & ‘nk’ spellings.)
The ‘m’ sound is made by closing both lips and allowing the sound to travel through the nasal passages
/m/ as in the words my, dream, smile, remember
/m/ is a voiced sound
This sound is known as a Bilabial Nasal
The sound /r/ is made when the tip of the tongue is held close to the alveolar ridge (but not touching). The side of the tongue should touch the lower back teeth. The sound is usually quite difficult for Asian students and can be confused with ‘l’.
(red, describe, bread, free, drain, trouble)
/r/ is voiced sound
This is known as a Post-alveolar Approximant
The sound of ‘l’ is divided into two distinct sounds, which occur according to the following rules. If the sound occurs at the beginning or middle of the word then ‘clear l’ is made; if the sound occurs at the end of the word then the sound is a ‘dark l’.
Clear- the tip touches the centre or the alveolar ridge allowing the air to escape around the sides
Dark- the same as the clear ‘l’ but the centre of the tongue is raised to the soft plate
/l/ is a voiced sound
he sound is known as Laterals
/w/ sound is similar to the you sound but the lips are rounded to give more
tension. The tongue too is similarly positioned only it is raised slightly more
It is a glide from .u/ to /a/.
/w/ as in the words wedding, window, where, was, what, wear, rewind
The sound is known as Labio-velar or semi-vowel
The sound is made by raising the centre of the tongue towards the soft plate and lips are neutral. It is a glide From /I/ to /a/
/j/ as in the words yesterday, year, your, yeah,
The sound is known as a Palatal or semi-vowel
Vowels:
Monophthongs single vowel sounds also known as pure vowels
Diphthongs made up of two vowel sounds also known as diphthongs
12 monophthongs: 7 short: / ɪ, e, æ, ʌ , ɒ, ʊ, ә /
and 5 long: /i: , ɑ: , ɔ: , з: , u:/
7 diphthongs: 5 closing: / eɪ, aɪ, ɔɪ, aʊ, әʊ /
and (3) centring: / eә, ɪә, ʊә/
FRONT CENTRAL BACK
CLOSE
MID-OPEN
OPEN
Vowel Chart
Thank you for your kind attention
If you have any questions or comments please contact me:
E-mail – kiranrakibe1575@gmail.com
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