Lecture 6 The outline of the lesson 1. General Principles of Consonant Formation - The distinction between vowels and consonants is a very old one. The principle of this division, however, is not sufficiently clear up to the present time, the boundary between them being rather uncertain. The old term, “consonants” precludes the idea that consonants cannot be pronounced without vowels. Yet we know that they can and often are; for instance, in the sound that calls for silence: :.
- The fact vowels are usually syllabic, does not mean that consonants are incapable of forming syllables. On the contrary, they may be syllabic too, and we find many instances in the English language of syllabic sonorants forming syllables by themselves.
1. General Principles of Consonant Formation - The general principles of consonant formation are different from those of vowels formation. The following are three most important principles.
- 1. An obstacle is created in one of the supra-laryngal cavities.
- 2. The muscular tension is concentrated in the place (or places) of obstruction.
- 3. A stronger air stream is required than in articulating vowels.
1. General Principles of Consonant Formation I. Since an impediment is an essential principle of consonant formation, In most languages the following three types of impediments are possible: - Complete closure at some point or other. Consonants of this type are called stops.
- The different kinds of stops are a result of the differences in the articulating organ (lips of tongue),
- in the manner of forming the impediment, the kind of resonance,
- the manner of releasing the closure (occlusive or obstructive), etc.
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