scientific description of speech sounds by Internal Phonetic Association IPA symbol. One alphabet symbol refers to only one sound and one sound refers to
only one alphabet symbol. However, “each symbol can be used for a range of different but similar sounds” Port and Leary, 2005: 928. In Phonetics, we will
learn more about consonant, vowel, diphthong sounds. We learn the symbols and how to pronounce them.
a. English Consonants
As summarized from Ladefoged and Johnson, English consonant articulation is divided into three parts 2011: 10. The first one is labial
articulation which occurs when using the lips. The second one is coronal articulation which uses the tip or blade of the tongue. The last one is dorsal which
is occurs by the back of the tongue. Later, bilabial and labiodental include in labial articulation. While dental, alveolar, retroflex, and palate-alveolar include in
coronal articulation. Velar includes in dorsal articulation. Palatal can include into coronal or dorsal articulation. It is based on a point to which we shall return.
Table 2.1 English Consonants Fromkin, Rodman, and Hyams, 2014: 204 Place of Articulation
B il
ab ia
l
L ab
iod en
tal
In te
rd en
tal A
lve ol
ar P
al atal
V el
ar G
lott al
M an
n er
of
A rti
cu lati
on Oral Stop
Voiced
b d
ɡ
Voiceless p
t k
Ɂ
Nasal Stop Voiced
m n
ŋ
Fricative Voiced
v ð
z ʒ
Voiceless
f θ
s ʃ
h
Affricate Voiced
ʤ
Voiceless
ʧ
Glide Voiced
w j
w
Voiceless Liquid Voiced
Central
r
Lateral
l
i. Place of Articulation
Bilabial, labiodental, dental, alveolar, retroflex, palate-alveolar, palatal, and velar are parts of place of articulation. The definition of each part will be
explained as a summary from Ladefoged and Johnson 2011: 11-13 also Fromkin, Rodman, and Hyams 2014: 195-197.
Bilabial sounds occur when we made our lips come together. The sounds are [p], [b], and [m] as in the word pie, buy, and my. In labiodental, we raise the
lower lip until it nearly touches the upper front teeth. The sounds are [f] and [v]. When we use our tongue tip and upper front teeth to produce sound, we will make
dental sounds. Some people have the tip of the tongue protruding between the upper and lower front teeth while others may have it close behind the upper front
teeth. For the sounds which the tongue position is between the teeth are called
interdental sounds. The sounds
are symbolized into [ð] and [θ]. The example is in the word thy
[ðaɪ] and thigh [θaɪ].
In alveolar, we use the tip of the tongue or the blade of the tongue. The
sounds that we produce are [t], [d], [n], [s], [z], [l], and [r]. We produce it use our
tongue tip and the back of alveolar ridge. In palatal, our front part of the tongue is
