Articulators and Points of Articulation Quiz

Pharyngeals

• Pharyngeal sounds are made by modifying airflow in the pharynx by retracting the tongue or constricting the pharynx.
• English does not have pharyngeal sounds, but they can be found in Arabic.

Glottals

• Glottal sounds are produced by adjusting the glottal opening to states other than voicing or voicelessness.
• The sounds at the beginning of the English words "have" and "hog" are made at the glottis.

Manners of Articulation

• Manners of articulation refer to the way the airstream is obstructed.
• The lips, tongue, velum, and glottis can be positioned in different ways to produce different sound types.

Oral vs. Nasal

• Oral sounds are produced with air flowing through only the mouth.
• Nasal sounds are produced by lowering the velum to allow air to pass through the nasal passages.

Articulators and Points of Articulation

• Articulators are parts of the vocal tract that can move to produce sounds (e.g., tongue, lower lip).
• Points of articulation are parts of the vocal tract that cannot move but are involved in articulation.

Consonants and Phonemes

• Consonant phonemes are classified according to their physical means of production.
• The classification is based on:
  • Voicing (voiced or voiceless)
  • Articulators used
  • Places/points of articulation
  • Degree of air flow constriction

Voicing

• Speech sounds can be produced while the vocal bands are vibrating (voiced) or not vibrating (voiceless).

Articulation

• Articulation involves bringing an articulator (tongue or lower lip) into contact with a point of articulation while releasing air.

Places/Points of Articulation

• Bilabials are sounds made with both lips (e.g., "peer", "bin", "mouth").
• Labiodentals are sounds made with the lower lip and upper teeth (e.g., "fire", "vow").
• Dentals are sounds made with the tongue placed against or near the teeth (e.g., "this", "thy", "thing/thin").
• Alveolars are sounds made with the tongue touching or near the alveolar ridge (e.g., "top", "deer", "soap", "zip", "lip", "neck").
• Alveopalatal and palatal sounds are made with the tongue near the alveopalatal area or palate (e.g., "show", "measure", "chip", "judge").