Special Sub-Topic: Let's Talk Consonants Click Here To Play: Let's Talk Consonants

There are three consonants that are pronounced by using both lips, hence the name bilabial. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

/n/. Notice that when you pronounce either /p/, /b/ or /m/, both of your lips touch each other. Here, we say that the upper lip is the passive (stationary) articulator (speaking organ) while the lower lip is the active (moving) articulator.

To pronounce /f/ and /v/, the active articulator and passive articulator are the upper teeth and the lower lip respectively. These two consonants are described as labio-dental. On the contrary, the tongue tip and the upper teeth serve as the active articulator and the passive articulator when you pronounce the letter "th" in "think" and "father". What is the place of articulation for these two consonants?

Dental. The phonetic symbol for the "th" sound in the word "think" is theta. This "th" sound is voiceless. On the other hand, the phonetic symbol for the "th" sound in the word "father" is delta. This "th" is voiced.

Alveolar sounds are pronounced by using the alveolar ridge (the region behind the upper teeth) as its passive (stationary) articulator and the tongue tip as its active (moving) articulator. Which of the following is NOT one of the English alveolar consonants?

/r/. Actually, the consonant sound of /r/ is classified as retroflex. It is also the only consonant sound in that category. The complete list of all the English alveolar consonants are /t/, /d/, /n/, /s/, /z/, /l/. Notice that when you pronounce these alveolar consonants, the tongue tip (active articulator) touches the alveolar ridge (passive articulator).

There are four post-alveolar consonants. If you pronounce the words "shy" and "seizure", you will notice that your tongue tip touches your alveolar ridge. Which are the two other consonants (as pronounced in the first syllables of the following words) that fit into this category?

Church; judge. The "sh" sound in the word "shy" is represented by an elongated "S" symbol. It is voiceless. Meanwhile, the "z" sound in the word "seizure" is represented by an elongated "z" symbol. The "ch" sound in the word "church" is represented by the letter "t", followed by an elongated "s". Lastly, the "j" sound in the word "judge" is represented by the letter "d", followed by an elongated "z".

As suggested by its name, the palatal consonants are pronounced by using the tongue body as its active articulator while the hard palate (the bony part on your mouth you can touch with your tongue) serves as the passive articulator. For example, the letter "y" in the word "yellow" is categorized as a palatal consonant. What is its phonetic symbol?

/j/. The correct phonetic symbol for the "y" sound in the word "yellow" is /j/. It is the only palatal consonant.

The letters "k" and "g" in the word "kangaroo" are categorized as velar consonants. The active articulator is the tongue body. What is the passive articulator?

Soft palate. There are three velar consonants, /k/, /g/ and also the sound of "ng" in the word "sing", which is represented by an elongated "n" symbol.

The consonant sounds of /h/ and /w/ are produced in the larynx. What is the name given to these types of consonant sounds?

Glottal. For glottal sounds, the air friction occurs in the larynx. I made up the word "throatal". Both uvula and trachea are organ names.

Consonant sounds can also be classified according to their manner of articulation. Airflow escape along the sides of the tongue when a lateral consonant is pronounced. Which of the following is a lateral consonant?

/l/ (as in the sound of the letter "l" in the word "letter"). The five manners of articulations are stop (further divided into nasal stop and oral/plosive stop), fricative, approximant, lateral and affricate.

Consonants are classified according to their states of glottis, too. In other words, consonants can be described as either voiced or voiceless. Which of the following is the odd one out?

/p/ (as in the sound of the letter "p" in the word "prison"). /P/ is the odd one out. It is a voiceless consonant. Meanwhile, /g/, /d/ and /b/ are all voiced.

Which of the following is a voiced consonant?

/z/ (as in the sound of the letter "z" in the word "zoo"). /Z/ is a voiced consonant while the remaining three consonants are all voiceless. One simple way to determine whether a consonant is voiced or voiceless is by putting your palm around your neck. If your vocal cords vibrate when a consonant is pronounced, then it is a voiced consonant. Otherwise, it is a voiceless consonant.