Articulation in Phonetics

Articulation in Phonetics

Definition

• Articulation refers to the process by which sounds are produced in spoken language.
• It involves the physical properties of the vocal organs, such as the lips, tongue, teeth, and vocal cords.

Places of Articulation

• Bilabial: sounds made with both lips, e.g., /p/, /b/, /m/
• Labiodental: sounds made with the lower lip and upper teeth, e.g., /f/, /v/
• Dental: sounds made with the tongue and upper teeth, e.g., /θ/, /ð/
• Alveolar: sounds made with the tongue and alveolar ridge, e.g., /t/, /d/, /n/
• Post-alveolar: sounds made with the tongue and the area just behind the alveolar ridge, e.g., /ʃ/, /ʒ/
• Palatal: sounds made with the tongue and hard palate, e.g., /j/, /ç/
• Velar: sounds made with the tongue and soft palate, e.g., /k/, /g/
• Uvular: sounds made with the tongue and uvula, e.g., /q/, /ɢ/
• Glottal: sounds made with the vocal cords, e.g., /h/, /ʔ/

Manners of Articulation

• Stop: a complete closure of the vocal tract, followed by a release, e.g., /p/, /t/, /k/
• Fricative: a partial closure of the vocal tract, causing friction, e.g., /s/, /z/, /f/
• Nasal: a sound made by allowing air to pass through the nasal cavity, e.g., /m/, /n/, /ŋ/
• Liquid: a sound made by allowing air to flow freely between the tongue and the roof of the mouth, e.g., /l/, /r/
• Approximant: a sound made by bringing the articulators close together, but not close enough to cause friction, e.g., /j/, /w/

Other Articulatory Features

• Voicing: the vibration of the vocal cords, e.g., /z/ is voiced, /s/ is voiceless
• Aspiration: the release of air after a stop, e.g., /pʰ/ is aspirated, /p/ is not
• Palatalization: the movement of the tongue towards the hard palate, e.g., /t͡ɕ/ is palatalized, /t/ is not

Articulation in Phonetics

Definition

• Articulation is the process of producing sounds in spoken language through the physical properties of vocal organs.

Places of Articulation

• Bilabial sounds are made with both lips, such as /p/, /b/, /m/.
• Labiodental sounds are made with the lower lip and upper teeth, such as /f/, /v/.
• Dental sounds are made with the tongue and upper teeth, such as /θ/, /ð/.
• Alveolar sounds are made with the tongue and alveolar ridge, such as /t/, /d/, /n/.
• Post-alveolar sounds are made with the tongue and the area just behind the alveolar ridge, such as /ʃ/, /ʒ/.
• Palatal sounds are made with the tongue and hard palate, such as /j/, /ç/.
• Velar sounds are made with the tongue and soft palate, such as /k/, /g/.
• Uvular sounds are made with the tongue and uvula, such as /q/, /ɢ/.
• Glottal sounds are made with the vocal cords, such as /h/, /ʔ/.

Manners of Articulation

• Stops are made with a complete closure of the vocal tract, followed by a release, such as /p/, /t/, /k/.
• Fricatives are made with a partial closure of the vocal tract, causing friction, such as /s/, /z/, /f/.
• Nasals are made by allowing air to pass through the nasal cavity, such as /m/, /n/, /ŋ/.
• Liquids are made by allowing air to flow freely between the tongue and the roof of the mouth, such as /l/, /r/.
• Approximants are made by bringing the articulators close together, but not close enough to cause friction, such as /j/, /w/.

Other Articulatory Features

• Voicing refers to the vibration of the vocal cords, with voiced sounds like /z/ and voiceless sounds like /s/.
• Aspiration refers to the release of air after a stop, with aspirated sounds like /pʰ/ and non-aspirated sounds like /p/.
• Palatalization refers to the movement of the tongue towards the hard palate, with palatalized sounds like /t͡ɕ/ and non-palatalized sounds like /t/.