2. The Classification of English Consonant Phonemes

I According to a) the type of obstruction and b) the manner of the production of noise consonants are subdivided into:

	noise consonants	plosive	p, b, t ,d, k, g
occlusive		affricative	C, G
	nasal sonorants		m, n, N
constrictive	noise fricative consonants		f, v, T, D, s, z, S, Z h
constrictive	constrictive sonorants	median	w, r, j
		lateral	l

II According to a) the active speech organ and b) the place of obstruction consonants are subdivided into:

a)

	forelingual	apical	t, d, n, l, s, z, T, D, C, G, S, Z
lingual		cacuminal	r
	mediolingual		C, G, j
	backlingual		k, g, N
labial	bilabial		p, b, m, w
	labiodental		f, v
glottal			h

b)

interdental	T, D
alveolar	t, d, n, l, s, z
palato-alveolar	C, G, S,Z
post-alveolar	r
palatal	j
velar	k, g, N

III According to a) the work of the vocal cords and b) the force of articulation consonants are divided into:

a) voiced b) lenis (relatively weak)	a) voiceless b) fortis (relatively strong)
b, d, g, dZ, v, D, z, Z	p, t, k, C, f, T, s, S, h

IV According to the position of the soft palate consonants are divided into: oral and nasal (m, n, N).

Exercise 1.

Study the classification of English consonants and answer the following questions. Check up your answers with the key.

1) How many letters are there in the English alphabet and how many sounds do they give?

2) How many consonant phonemes are there in English?

3) What groups of consonants are found according to the type of obstruction and the manner of the production of noise?

4) What three groups are English consonants divided into according to the active organ of speech?

5) What passive speech organs may serve as points of articulation for interdental, alveolar, palato- alveolar and post-alveolar consonants?

6) What groups of consonants are found according to the work of the vocal cords?

7) What two groups of consonants are found according to the position of the soft palate? How are nasal consonants produced?

8) What plosive consonants do you know? Which of them are aspirated before stressed vowels?

9) Name alveolar consonants. Which of them are occlusive?

10) What constrictive fricative consonants and constrictive sonorants do you know?

11) Name affricates. What are they according to the place of obstruction?

12) Name forelingual, mediolingual and backlingual consonants.

13) What labial consonants do you know?

14) Name palato-alveolar consonants.

15) Name nasal sonorants. Are they occlusive or constrictive?

Exercise 2.

Say what common features the following groups of consonants have. Check your answers with the key.

1) [t, d, n, l, s, z, T, D, S, Z]

2) [m, n, N]

3) [t, d, n, l, s, z]

4) [k, g, N]

5) [w, l, r, j]

6) [p, b, m, w]

7) [p, b, t, d, k, g]

8) [T, D, s, z, l]