Consonant Features (035)

A complete closure is made somewhere in the mouth, and the soft palate is raised. Air pressure increases behind the closure and is then released more slowly than in plosives,

• approximant

• fricative

• plosive

• affricate

Vocal organs come near to each other, but not so close as to cause audible friction,

• approximant

• lateral

• nasal

• fricative

A partial closure is made by the blade of the tongue against the alveolar ridge. Air is able to flow around the sides of the tongue,

• Plosive

• Affricate

• Lateral

• Nasal

How many consonant sounds are there in English?

• 30
• 26
• 24
• 20

How many voiceless fricative sounds are there in English?

• 7
• 6
• 5
• 4

Which group of sounds are formed by a combination of a plosive followed by a fricative?

• Nasals
• Affricates
• Approximants
• Fricatives

How are approximant sounds different from plosive sounds?

• They involve complete closure in the vocal tract
• They are voiceless sounds
• They are formed by air friction
• They are produced with less constriction in the vocal tract

Which group of sounds are formed by a closure in the vocal tract that is suddenly released?

• Plosives
• Approximants
• Nasals
• Fricatives

How are nasal sounds different from other consonant sounds?

• They are voiceless
• They involve air friction
• The air is released through the mouth
• The air is released through the nose

How are fricative sounds formed?

• By vibrating the vocal cords
• Through the nose
• By air friction without full closure
• With complete closure in the vocal tract