VOWEL SOUND
Vowel sounds are produced when the airstream flows from the lungs to the mouth without obstruction. There are fourteen-four sounds segments in English, which comprises of twenty (20) vowels and twenty four (24) consonants. Consonant sounds are produced with obstruction or interrupt flow of air from the lungs.
Table of Contents
CLASSIFICATION OF ENGLISH VOWEL
The vowels in English are classified into two main groups. Pure vowel (monophthongs) and diphthong. The pure vowels are sub-divided or classified into short and long vowels.
CONSONANT SOUND
The obstruction that occurred in the production of consonant sound could be “partial” or “total”. For example, when consonant /P/ is produced, the flow of the air is obstructed by the lips. The obstruction here is called a total obstruction because the flow of air is completely obstructed, unlike /f/ it is partial.
CLASSIFICATION OF CONSONANT SOUND
Manner of State of Place of
Articulation Glosses Articulation
STOP PLOSIVE Voiceless Voiced
P b Bilabial
t d alveolar
k g velar
FRICATIVE f v Labio-dental
O 2 Dental
S z Alveolar
S 3 Palato – Alveolar
h Glottal
AFFRICATIVE tg dz Palato Alveolar
LATERAL l Alveolar
LIQUID r Alveolar
SEMI VOWEL w Bilabial
j Palatal
NASAL m Bilabial
n Alveolar
J Velar
See also
Guided Composition (Narrative)