Articulation in Phonetics

Study Notes

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.

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/

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/

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

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/.

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/.

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/.