Phonology: Place of Articulation

Place of articulation are the location that most consonant sounds are produced by using the tongue and other parts of the mouth to constrict. And then the shape of the oral cavity through which the air is passing in various ways to produce the various sound. This movement used to describe various sounds are those which denote the place of articulation of the sound.

If you crack a head right down the middle, you will be able to see which parts of the oral cavity are crucially involved in speech production. To describe the place of articulation of most consonant sounds, we can start at the front of the mouth until in the back. We can also understand voiced–voiceless distinction in mind and begin using the symbols of the phonetic alphabet for specific sounds. These symbols will be enclosed within square brackets [ ].

Bilabials

            Bilabials are formed by the word ‘bi’ means both and ‘labia’ means lower lips. The example of Bilabial is pat [p] , bat [b] and mat [m]. [p] is voiceless, [b] and [m] are voiced. [w] is also bilabial, such as the word way, walk and world.

Labiodental

            The upper teeth and the lower lip are able to produce labiodental sounds. The sounds that produced by labiodental is [f] which is voiceless and [v], which is voiced. We can get the example of labiodental from the word safe and save.

Interdentals

            Interdental sounds are formed with the tongue tip behind the upper front teeth. The sounds that produced by interdental are [ θ ] “theta” which is voiceless dental from the word thin and bath. The voiced dental is represented by the symbol [ð] “eth.”.  We can get example from the word the, there, then and thus.

Alveolars

These are sounds formed with the front part of the tongue on the alveolar ridge, the sounds that pronounced alveolar are [t], [d], [n], [s], [z], [l] and [r]. For example in the word top, dip, sit, zoo, luck and river.

Palatals

            In the back behind the alveolar ridge, you will find a hard part in the roof of your mouth. This is called the hard palate or just the palate. Sounds produced with the tongue and the palate are called palatals. The sounds are {s], [c], [ tʃ ], [dʒ] and [j].  Examples of palatals are the initial sounds in the words shout {s], child [c] and the word church  [ ʧ ] and shoe-brush [ ʃ ]  are the voiceless palatal, you [j], treasure [ ʒ ] and  joke [ʤ ] are voiced palatal.

Velars

            The back of the tongue to the soft palate or velum is a way to produce this class of sound. The sound of velars are [k] [g] and [ŋ]. We can get velars soun in English such as kill, go and bang..

Uvulars

            Uvular sound are prodused by raising the back of the tongue to the uvula. The fleshy protuberance that hangs down in the back of our throats. The r French is often a uvular trill symbolized by [R]. The uvular sounds [q] and [G] occur in Arabic. These sound do not ordinarily occur in English.

Glottals

            There is one sound that is produced without the active use of the tongue and other parts of the mouth. It is the sound [h ] which occurs at the beginning of have and house. This sound is usually described as a voiceless glottal. The “glottis” is the space between the vocal folds in the larynx. When the glottis is open, as in the production of other voiceless sounds, and there is no manip