Technische Universität München Introduction to English Pronunciation English Consonants

Technische Universität München Overview 1.Plosives 2.Fricatives and Affricates 3.Nasals, Laterals and Approximants 4.Fortis Consonants & Glottalisation

Technische Universität München Plosives 6 voiced and voiceless pairs Bilabial/p/ and /b/ Alveolar/t/ and /d/ Velar/k/ and /g/

Technische Universität München Plosives 3 phases in production:  Silence - The articulators totally block the airstream; the air pressure increases just behind the obstruction  Plosion - The articulators quickly move away from each other; an explosive burst of air rushes through the opening  Aspiration - The articulators are now further apart; the air pressure at the site of the obstruction has fallen

Technische Universität München Plosives Plosives combine easily with other consonants to form consonant clusters, as in the initial clusters in the following words: –/s/ + plosive spout, stout, scout –plosive + /w/ tweezer, square –plosive + /j/ pew, cue, skew –[/s/] + plosive + /l/ play, splay, clay, sclerosis –[/s/] + plosive + /r/ pray, spray, tray, stray, scrape

Technische Universität München Overview 1.Plosives 2.Fricatives and Affricates 3.Nasals, Laterals and Approximants 4.Fortis Consonants & Glottalisation

Technische Universität München Fricatives Sometimes referred to as ‘hissing’ sounds /s/ (as in ‘silly’) is the most common fricative Try saying…  /s/  lower the tongue  /f/  pull your lower lip down

Technische Universität München Fricatives All fricatives are continuant consonants (compare plosives, such as /p/ or /k/). /m//n//ŋ/ are continuant nasal consonants /Ɩ/ is continuant and lateral

Technische Universität München Fricatives Fricatives are divided into unvoiced (fortis) and voiced (lenis) pairs: /f//v/ labiodental fricatives > weak, esp. /v/ θ//ð/ dental fricatives > (tongue behind teeth) > weak /s//z/ alveolar fricatives > position as for /d/ and /t/ > intense /ʃ//ʒ/post-alveolar fricatives > rounded lips (compare /s/ and /z/)  /ʒ/ is not a common sound in English Almost never initial Most words containing /ʒ/ are French in origin e.g. ‘garage’, ‘jejune’

Technische Universität München Fricatives /h/glottal > voiceless > voiced vowel  /h/ is classed as a fricative, but because of the way the /h/ sound is produced, it is difficult to classify  Say the words 'he' and 'hat’  Now say 'house’  /h/ is thought to be class-marked but all native speakers drop it in unstressed words, e.g. ‘her’  In ‘huge’ or in ‘Hughes’ it is hardly a fricative at all but rather a [ç], usually transcribed as /hj/

Technische Universität München Affricates /ʧ/ /ʤ/position as for /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ > rounded lips Affricate = plosive + fricative  /ʧ/ shortens preceding vowel when final, e.g /ʧɜ:ʧ/  Must be homorganic > /kf/ not affricate

Technische Universität München Overview 1.Plosives 2.Fricatives and Affricates 3.Fortis Consonants 4.Glottalisation 5.Nasals, Laterals and Approximants

Technische Universität München Overview 1.Plosives 2.Fricatives and Affricates 3.Nasals, Laterals and Approximants 4.Fortis Consonants & Glottalisation

Technische Universität München Nasals, Laterals and Approximants Nasals: /m//n//ŋ/ Lateral:/Ɩ/ Approximants (sometimes called semi-vowels): /r//j//w/  All are continuant consonants

Technische Universität München Nasals Production of nasals 3 types of closure: –bilabial –alveolar –velar (velum drops to allow air into nose)

Technische Universität München Nasals Distribution Initial position for /m/ and /n/ common  /ŋ/ never occurs initially but medially it occurs quite frequently:  letters in medial position, e.g., /k/ will always be pronounced

Technische Universität München Nasals  letters in medial position; sometimes pronounced /ŋg/, sometimes /ŋ/ –e.g. / f ɪ ŋgə /vs. / s ɪ ŋə /  contains 1 morpheme  contains 2 morphemes  In words with the final position /ŋ/ is never followed by /g/

Technische Universität München Lateral /Ɩ/ can be “dark” or “clear” (sometimes called “light”)  “dark” /Ɩ/ occurs before consonants or in word final positions –e.g. or  “clear” /Ɩ/ never occurs before consonants or pauses; only before vowels

Technische Universität München Approximants /r/ only occurs before vowels (in RP/BBC) RP/BBC is non-rhotic In words such as,,,,, /r/ is not pronounced However many accents are rhotic: U.S. English, Scottish, West of England, Irish

Technische Universität München Approximants /j/ and /w/ are more like vowels in that articulators do not touch  phonologically they remain consonants because, for example, they are not preceded by  German speakers remember: /w/ is a bilabial NOT a fricative

Technische Universität München

Overview 1.Plosives 2.Fricatives and Affricates 3.Nasals, Laterals and Approximants 4.Fortis Consonants & Glottalisation

Technische Universität München Fortis consonants  Shorten preceding vowels, especially long vowels or diphthongs –e.g. ‘heap’, ‘right’  If following consonants such as /Ɩ/ /m/ /n/ or /ŋ/, the effect is also shortening –e.g. ‘felt’, ‘bank’  If /p/ /t/ or /k/ precede a vowel, the beginning of the vowel is voiceless  If they precede /Ɩ/ /r/ /j/ or /w/, those consonants lose voicing –e.g. ‘pay’, ‘kind’ and ‘play’, ‘twin’

Technische Universität München Glottalisation  Occurs commonly in modern spoken British English  Especially before the consonants /p/ /t/ /k/ /ʧ/ –e.g. ‘actor’, ‘nature’