Implosive Manner of Articulation

66 English has a wide variety of syllable types such as CCV, CCCV, etc Finegan, 2004: 127.

4.2 English Segmental Phonemes with Potential Difficulties

This is Section Two in which the list of consonant phonemes of Nataia is juxtaposed with that of English. In this way, the writer can pinpoint which segmental consonant phonemes of English are potentially difficult for a Nataia speaker in learning English phonology. The result of the juxtaposition will lead to the answer to the second research question of this thesis: What segmental phonemes of English may cause difficulties for Nataia speakers in learning English phonology?. A careful and detailed phonological analysis of English and Nataia in the preceding pages has opened the way for the present writer to make a comparison and contrast of the consonant phonemes of the two languages. The comparison and contrast below is done class by class. Table 4.19 Comparison of English and Nataia Consonant Phonemes consonant English Nataia Stops p √ √ t √ √ k √ √ b √ √ d √ √ g √ √ ß - √ ɗ - √ ğ - √ Nasals m √ √ n √ √ ŋ √ √ Fricatives f √ √ v √ √ θ √ - ð √ - s √ √ 67 The comparison and contrast above clearly indicates that English has six characteristic consonant sounds which are absent from the inventory of Nataia. The characteristic sounds of English include θ, ð, ʃ,ʒ, tʃ and dʒ, each of which occupying three different positions in a word. In the initial position, for example, the sound θ is found in words such as thin θɪn. In the medial position, it is found in words such as author ᴐ:θər. In the final position, it is found in words such as breath bre:θ. In the initial position, the sound ð is found in words such as then ðen, in the medial position in words such as leather leðər, in the final position in words such as breathe bri:ð. In the initial position, the sound ʃ is found in words such as shin ʃɪn, in the medial position in words such as rashes rʌʃɪz, in the final in words such as rush rɑ:ʃ. In the initial position, the sound ʒ is found in words such as genre ʒʌŋre, in the medial position in words such as measure mɛʒɛ and in the final in words such as rouge ru:ʒ. In the initial position, the sound tʃ is found in words such as church tʃə:c, in the medial in words such as kitchen k h itʃən, in the final in words such as pitch pɪtʃ. In the initial, the sound dʒ is found in words such as jelly dʒɛli, in the medial in words such as bludgeon blʌdʒən, and in the final in words such as fudge fʌdʒ. z √ √ ʃ √ - ʒ √ - h √ √ ɣ - √ ř - √ Affricates tʃ √ - ʤ √ -