CONSONANT SOUNDS

TABLE OF ENGLISH CONSONANT PHONEMES

 

Terms for the Manner in which the Sound is Made

Voiced	The vocal cords in the voice box or larynx are tensed.
Voiceless	The vocal cords are not tensed and there is an open passage of air as when whispering.
Glottalized	The voice box or larynx is momentarily closed creating a slight "popping" sound as when saying uh uh or oh oh.
Stop	The air passage is momentarily stopped and then released.
Fricative	The tongue, or back of the throat is placed in such a position that the air passes by continuously.
Nasal	The air is stopped and forced out the nasal cavity.
Glide	The sound is shaped by a slight movement of the lips or tongue.

Terms for the Place the Sound is Made

Bilabial	The sound is made with both lips.
Labio-Dental	The sound is made with the bottom lip against the top teeth.
Alveolar	The sound is made with the flat front of the tongue against the alveolar ridge, the bony ridge just behind the teeth.
Lateral	The sound is made with the tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge in such a way that the sound can pass by on either side of the tongue.
Alveo-Palatal	The sound is made with the middle of the tongue against the area behind the alveolar ridge as it rises to the roof of the mouth or palate.
Palatal	The sound is made with the middle of the tongue against the roof of the mouth or palate.
Velar	The sound is made with the back of the tongue against the back of the roof of the mouth behind the palate, the velum.
Glottal	The sound is made in the area of the voicebox or larynx.

A speech sound that's not a vowel; a letter of the alphabet that represents a speech sound produced by a partial or complete obstruction of the air stream by a constriction of the speech organs.

The purpose of the chart is to show where in the mouth different consonant sounds derive and how much air is needed to create the sounds. For this reason, the chart often has the location of the sound (place) across the top and the way the sound is produced (manner) down the side Place of Articulation

Here are some videos that help us to pronounce consonants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ergntBoeAHM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyhk6g4T-2M&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0sdVIb5fpE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUFHwmKfDTc&feature=related