The 24 Consonant Sounds in English | English Phonology

Summary

This educational video script explores the 24 consonant sounds in English, categorized into plosives, fricatives, affricates, nasals, and approximants. It explains the production of these sounds, noting the differences between voiced and voiceless pairs. The script also touches on the physical positions of the mouth and vocal tract during articulation, providing insights into the logic behind the organization of the consonant chart.

Takeaways

• 🔊 There are 24 consonant sounds in English, not just 24 consonant letters.
• 📊 The consonant chart is organized logically, with sounds on the left typically produced at the front of the mouth and those on the right at the back.
• 💥 Plosive sounds are made by a complete closure in the vocal tract that is suddenly released, creating an 'explosion' of air.
• 🗣️ Plosives come in pairs, with one sound in each pair being voiced (using vocal cords) and the other voiceless.
• 🌬️ Fricatives are produced when the articulators come close enough to create air friction without complete closure.
• 👫 Fricatives also occur in pairs, with one voiceless and one voiced sound, similar to plosives.
• 🔁 Affricates are a combination of plosives and fricatives, where the transition from one sound to the next is made without a break.
• 🌀 Nasal sounds are unique because the air is released through the nose, not the mouth, and all nasals are voiced.
• 🌬️ Approximants are produced with the articulators close but with more freedom for air to pass, similar to vowel sounds but not the core of a syllable.
• 🔢 Out of the 24 consonant sounds, 9 are voiceless and 15 are voiced.

Q & A

How many consonant sounds are there in English according to the script?

There are 24 consonant sounds in English.

What is the difference between consonant letters and consonant sounds?

Consonant letters refer to the written symbols in the alphabet, while consonant sounds refer to the actual sounds that are produced when pronouncing words.

How are the sounds organized in the consonant chart mentioned in the script?

The sounds in the consonant chart are organized logically, with sounds on the left typically produced at the front of the mouth and sounds on the right produced towards the back of the mouth.

What are plosive sounds and how many are there in English?

Plosive sounds are formed by a complete closure in the vocal tract that is suddenly released, creating a mini explosion of air. There are six plosive sounds in English.

How can you tell if a plosive sound is voiced or voiceless?

A voiced plosive sound involves the vibration of the vocal cords, while a voiceless plosive sound does not. You can feel this by placing your hand on your throat while pronouncing the sounds.

What is the difference between plosive and fricative sounds?

Plosive sounds involve a complete closure and release in the vocal tract, while fricative sounds involve the articulators coming close enough to create air friction without full closure.

How many fricative sounds are there in English, and what is a characteristic of these sounds?

There are nine fricative sounds in English. A characteristic of these sounds is the presence of air friction due to the close proximity of the articulators without full closure.

What are affricate sounds and how do they differ from plosives and fricatives?

Affricate sounds are a combination of a plosive and a fricative sound produced consecutively. There are two affricate sounds in English, which are pairs of unvoiced and voiced sounds.

What are nasal sounds and how do they produce sound?

Nasal sounds are produced when the air is released through the nose instead of the mouth, with the vocal cords vibrating. There are three nasal sounds in English.

What are approximants and how do they compare to vowel sounds?

Approximants are sounds where the articulators come close but not as close as in fricatives, allowing air to flow more freely. They are similar to vowel sounds but are not the core of a syllable, hence they are not full vowel sounds. There are four approximants in English.

How many of the 24 consonant sounds in English are voiceless, and how many are voiced?

Out of the 24 consonant sounds, nine are voiceless and 15 are voiced.

Outlines

00:00

🔤 Introduction to English Consonant Sounds

The video begins by introducing the 24 consonant sounds in English, emphasizing that these are sounds rather than letters. The presenter explains the organization of the phonemic chart, highlighting that sounds on the left side are produced at the front of the mouth, while those on the right are produced towards the back. The first group discussed is the plosive sounds, which are formed by a complete closure in the vocal tract that is suddenly released, creating an 'explosion' of air. There are six plosives, which are divided into three pairs: voiced and voiceless. The presenter demonstrates how to feel the vibration in the throat to distinguish between voiced and voiceless sounds.

05:03

🗣️ Exploring Fricatives, Affricates, and Nasals

The second paragraph delves into fricatives, which are produced when the articulators come close enough to create air friction without complete closure. There are nine fricatives in English, and they are all paired with one voiceless and one voiced sound, except for the final sound /h/ which is voiceless and has no voiced counterpart. The discussion then moves to affricates, which are a combination of plosives and fricatives, and there are only two in English. The presenter also covers nasal sounds, which are unique because the air is released through the nose, not the mouth. Three nasal sounds are explained, all of which are voiced.

10:04

🎶 Approximants and Summary of Consonant Groups

The final paragraph focuses on approximants, which are formed when the articulators come close but not as close as in fricatives, allowing air to flow more freely. There are four approximants in English, all of which are voiced. The presenter also clarifies that approximants, despite their vowel-like qualities, are not full vowel sounds because they cannot form the core of a syllable. The video concludes with a summary of the consonant groups: six plosives, nine fricatives, two affricates, three nasals, and four approximants. The presenter notes that out of the 24 consonants, nine are voiceless and 15 are voiced, and encourages viewers to explore additional videos for more details on each group.

Keywords

💡Consonant Sounds

Consonant sounds refer to the non-vowel sounds in speech, produced by obstructing airflow in some way. In the video, the focus is on the 24 distinct consonant sounds in English, as opposed to consonant letters, which are the written symbols. The script explains that these sounds are organized logically on the phonemic chart, with some being produced at the front of the mouth and others at the back.

💡Phonemic Chart

The phonemic chart is a visual representation of the sounds of a language, in this case, English. It is mentioned as being divided into two halves, with the consonant sounds occupying one half. The chart is not a random collection but is organized based on the production of sounds, with logic behind its structure.

💡Plosive Sounds

Plosive sounds are a type of consonant sound produced by completely blocking the airflow in the vocal tract and then releasing it suddenly, creating a 'mini explosion' of air. The video identifies six plosive sounds in English, which are all in the first row of the consonant chart, and they are characterized by this abrupt release of air.

💡Voiced and Voiceless

Voiced and voiceless sounds differ in the use of vocal cords. Voiced sounds involve vibration of the vocal cords, while voiceless sounds do not. The script explains this concept by demonstrating the vibration (or lack thereof) in the throat when producing certain consonant sounds, such as 'p' (voiceless) and 'b' (voiced).

💡Fricatives

Fricatives are consonant sounds produced by narrowing the airflow in the vocal tract, creating audible friction between the articulators. The video mentions that there are nine fricative sounds in English, which fill the second row of the consonant chart, and they are characterized by this friction without complete closure.

💡Affricates

Affricates are a combination of a plosive and a fricative sound. They are mentioned as being a unique group within the consonant sounds, where the articulators move from a complete closure to a narrow channel, as in the sounds /tʃ/ and /dʒ/. The script highlights that these are formed by the combination of two sounds and are distinct from both plosives and fricatives.

💡Nasal Sounds

Nasal sounds are produced when the air is released through the nose instead of the mouth. The video identifies three nasal sounds in English, all of which are voiced. The script provides a practical demonstration by pinching the nose to show that the sound stops when the air cannot escape through the nasal passage.

💡Approximants

Approximants are consonant sounds where the articulators come close but do not narrow the airflow enough to create friction. They are mentioned as being similar to vowel sounds in that the air flows more freely. The video includes four approximant sounds in English, which are all voiced and are sometimes referred to as semi-vowels or glides.

💡Articulators

Articulators refer to the parts of the mouth used to produce speech sounds, such as the lips, teeth, tongue, and palate. The script discusses how different consonant sounds are formed by the position and movement of these articulators, which is crucial for understanding the production of plosives, fricatives, and other sounds.

💡Vocal Tract

The vocal tract is the part of the body involved in the production of speech sounds, including the throat, mouth, and nasal passages. The video explains how the position and movement within the vocal tract contribute to the creation of different consonant sounds, such as by blocking or narrowing the airflow.

💡Syllable

A syllable is a unit of organization for sounds in spoken language, typically consisting of a vowel sound that may be surrounded by consonant sounds. The script mentions that approximants, while sounding somewhat like vowel sounds, are not full vowel sounds because they cannot form the core of a syllable on their own.

Highlights

Introduction to the 24 consonant sounds in English, distinct from consonant letters.

Consonant sounds are organized logically on the phonemic chart, with left-side sounds produced at the front of the mouth.

Right-side sounds on the chart are produced towards the back of the mouth, such as the 'g' sound.

Plosive sounds are the first group, with six sounds in the first row, characterized by a complete closure and sudden release in the vocal tract.

Plosives come in voiced and voiceless pairs, such as 'p' and 'b', differing only in the use of vocal cords.

Fricatives are the second group, with nine sounds, formed by close approximation of articulators without full closure, creating air friction.

Fricatives also have voiced and voiceless pairs, with 'f' and 'v' as examples, and are found in the second and third rows of the chart.

The 'th' sounds are unique fricatives with one voiced and one voiceless variant.

Affricates are a combination of plosives and fricatives, with only two sounds in English, represented by 'ch' and 'j'.

Nasal sounds are the fourth group, with air released through the nose rather than the mouth, and all are voiced.

Approximants are the final group, with four sounds that allow more free airflow and are sometimes called semi-vowels.

Approximants are voiced and are not the core of a syllable, unlike vowel sounds.

Summary of the consonant groups: six plosives, nine fricatives, two affricates, three nasals, and four approximants.

Out of 24 consonants, nine are voiceless and 15 are voiced.

Encouragement to explore additional videos for detailed information on each consonant group.

Transcripts

hi everybody

in this video we are going to have a

look at

all of the consonant sounds in english

so not the consonant letters but the

consonant

sounds and there are 24

consonant sounds in total in english

let's have a look at them here they are

all in the consonant chart

this is half of the phonemic chart

and we want to have a quick look at the

organization of the chart because this

is not just a random

collection of sounds there is

some logic behind the chart and so the

first thing to remember is

that sounds that are on the left of the

chart

are usually also produced at the front

of the mouth for example

all three sounds are produced at the

front of the mouth

and then if we have a look at the sounds

on the very

right hand side like g

they are produced more towards the back

of the mouth now let's have a look at

all of the sounds in their specific

groups

the first group are the plosive sounds

and we have

six in total and all of them are in the

first

row minus two sounds and you can see

them highlighted here

we have

and remember plosives are formed

because there is a closure somewhere in

your vocal tract

um formed by your articulators that

could be your lips

or your tongue there's complete closure

and that closure is

suddenly released and the air comes out

and we can hear that

mini explosion of air and that is what

forms the sound

plus the articulator's position of

course and so all six of those are

plosives

now but there is something special about

all of those sounds

in that for example if we have a look at

the first two

p and b one of them is

voiced that means we use our vocal

chords to form the sound

and the other one is voiceless without

the use of vocal chords

let's just check quickly we can put our

hand very lightly here on our throat

there's no vibration here the vocal

cords are not vibrating this is a

voiceless sound

and very clear vibration

here from the vocal chords that this is

a voiced

sound so in total you can see that they

actually go in pairs

we have three pairs of plosive sounds

and for each one one is voiced and the

other one is voiceless

but the way the articulators move and

the closure

the point of closure in your mouth is

actually the same with p

and b the only difference is the use of

your voice

or your vocal chords so in total

you have six plosives three are

voiceless

and the other three are voiced

let's have a look at the next group of

sounds

next up we have a very big group of

bounds you can see they fill up the

entire second row

plus another sound in the third row and

these

are our fricatives and in total

we have nine fricative sounds

in english and fricatives are formed

because our articulators they come close

and indeed they come so close that we

can hear

the air friction but there is no full

closure

so for example here

my if you have a look again my top teeth

go to my bottom lip i breathe out

and you can hear the air friction and

that is actually what produces the sound

and of course the same for the and then

we have

the two funny symbols those are the th

sounds that we have in english one is

again voice the other one is unvoiced

then we have zum

and the very last one doesn't really

have a partner it's in the last final

row in the third row in the middle

that is and as i said already

these go in the same pairing

as the plosives we have pairs of

fricatives

in the entire second row and the first

one is always

voiceless for example and again you can

do your little check here

no vibration it's a voiceless sound and

then the partner is

the but again the way they are formed

these two sounds is the same

so and the you can actually see

that my top teeth go to my bottom lip

and that is how we produce the sound but

one of them is

without the use of the vocal cords um so

they go in pairs

the you can always do the check here the

two th sounds

so for the last two this is very clear

no vibration but then clear vibration

and then doesn't have a partner and

as in hello voiceless

um so we have five voiceless sounds and

four voiced sounds in the group of nine

fricatives

so we had a look at the plosives and at

the fricatives

and there are some sounds that are

actually a combination

of the two and they form their own group

and we skipped over them in the first

row and

those two sounds are affricates

affricates are sounds they're extra

sounds

on their own but they're really a

combination of

plosives and fricatives together so we

have for example

the plosive and the fricative

and together they form

so really move from one sound directly

to the next

and in the second one it's

and together they form the sound

that can be quite a difficult sound to

pronounce for some

speakers especially if you don't have

the sound

in your own language you need a little

bit more effort here because your vocal

chords

are again vibrating in the second one so

just as before this is a pair

unvoiced it's voiceless no vocal chords

vibrate

but together forming

clear vibration from the vocal chords

this is a voiced

sound so those are our only two

affricate sounds in english

good so we've covered already three

groups let's have a look at the next

group this group is in our bottom row

the third row

and it's the first three sounds together

and those are all nasal sounds

now nasal sounds are special

because here the air

is not released through the mouth for

example we had before

or very clearly if you actually if you

had a piece of paper if you just put

your hand in front of you

you can feel the air coming out of your

mouth that's not the case obviously with

um because you can see

my lips are closed and they stay closed

so the air is not coming out through my

mouth

the air is indeed released through my

nose and you could check this

by pinching your nose when you say the

sound

this sound stops because the ear is no

longer released

so those three are nasal sounds if

you're a little bit confused about that

third nasal with the little tail you

think what's the difference between the

first

and the second watch my special video on

nasal sounds where i'll

explain this in detail okay so we've

covered

plosives fricatives affricates

and nasals let's have a look at the last

group

and of course sorry i forgot to say all

our nasals are voiced

clear vibration all of them are voiced

and

the last group are the approximants

and we have four of those in english

so we have

and approximants are formed again by the

articulators they come close but

not as close as in fricatives so we

cannot really hear air friction

um instead the air is released through

the mouth

and it flows a little bit more freely

so in a way we could say they're a

little bit similar in their production

to consonant and not to consonants to

vowel sounds

and in fact sometimes people think well

why are they not vowel sounds then

and indeed sometimes people call the and

ye

semivowels but they're not full vowel

sounds and that is because they cannot

be the core of a syllable and again i

have a special video on approximants

where i explain that

in detail because we call these

non-zylabic sounds it's very technical

have a look at that video if you want to

find out more so we've got

yeah and all of them

vibration all of them are voiced sounds

and like i said and yeah are also called

semi vowels or glides because they do

sound

behave a little bit like vowel sounds

okay so let's do a very quick summary

just so that you remember all of the

groups within these 24 consonant sounds

remember first we had six plosive sounds

all off the top row minus the two in the

middle

we had nine fricatives the entire second

row

plus in the third row

then we had two affricate

the fourth group was our nasals we had

three

nasal sounds and the last group

are the four approximants in the final

row

the four last sounds in total

there are 24 consonants nine consonants

are voiceless or unvoiced and the other

15

are voiced

i hope this has been helpful and

explained the consonant chart to you and

i hope that you can remember the names

of the different groups of consonants

and if you want to find out more about

each group and how they exactly

formed and see some example words and

the typical spellings

make sure you check out all my other

videos on each of these groups

you