Consonants

Difference between sonorants and obstruents

• Obstruents have no restriction in airflow, and sonorants do.

• Sonorants have no restriction in airflow, but obstruents do.

• There are more sonorants than obstruents.

Obstruents can be subdivided into

• approximants and fricatives

• stops, affricates and nasals

• stops, fricatives and affricates

Two examples of sonorant consonants are

• /w/ and /m/

• /l/ and /d/

• /h/ and /j/

Obstruents

• are typically voiced.

• are only voiceless.

• may have both voiced and voiceless counterparts.

Sonorant consonants can be subdivided into

• affricates and nasals

• approximants and nasals

• stops and approximants

Which obstruents have the narrowest structures?

• fricatives and affricates

• stops and affricates

• fricatives, affricates and stops

Where can a sound occur in a word?

• only at the beginning a word

• only at the end of a word

• at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of a word

What are stops characterized by

• only involving complete closure in the oral tract

• involving complete closure in the oral tract and letting the airflow exit through the mouth

• involving complete closure in the oral tract and preventing the airflow from exciting through the mouth

What name do oral stops receive?

• continuants

• approximants

• plosives

How many pairs of voiced/voiceless stops does English have?

• 4

• 3

• 2