Consonants — By place of articulation

My personal learning notes on places of articulation, where I try to sort out my understanding of consonants and link with what I know of English, German, Mandarin Chinese, French, Malay and my native Vietnamese.

Bilabial

Bring both lips together. Common sounds are:

• [m] Bilabial nasal
  Example: man (English), Mann (German), māo (Chinese), muối (Vietnamese)
• [m̩] the syllabic version
  Example: großem (German), rhythm (English)
• [p] voiceless bilabial stop
  Example: space (English), nhíp (Vietnamese)
• [pʰ] Person (German)
• [b] voiced bilabial stop
  Example: back (English), bei (German)
• [ɸ] voiceless bilabial fricative
  Example: 富士 (Japanese)

Labiodental

Lower lip touches the upper teeth. Common sounds are:

• [f] voiceless labiodental fricative
  Example: fan (English), für, von (German), pháo (Vietnamese)
• [v] voiced labiodental fricative
  Example: van (English), và (Vietnamese), was, Vase (German)
• [pf] voiceless labiodental affricate
  Example: Pfeffer (German)
• [ɱ] voiced labiodental nasal
  Example: symphony (English)
  It sounds almost like the normal [m] but instead of two lips touching, the lower lip touches the upper teeth. In English it’s actually an allophone for [m] but because it immediately follows by [f], a labiodental sound — I guess it’s easier to say [m] as an [ɱ] to facilitate the transition into [f].

Dental

Place the tip of the tongue against the upper teeth. Common sounds are:

• [θ] voiceless dental nonsibilant fricative (also often called “interdental”)
  Example: thing (English)
• [ð] voiced dental nonsibilant fricative (also often called “interdental”)
  Example: this (English)

Alveolar

Place your tongue at where the teeth meet the gum.

Common sounds are:

• [n] alveolar nasal
  Example: name (English), nán (Mandarin), bạn (Vietnamese), Name (German)
• [n̩] syllabic version
  Example: beiden (German), sudden (English)
• [t] voiceless alveolar stop
  Example: stay (English), tuần (Vietnamese), Stadt (German)
• [tʰ] Tag (German)
• [d] voiced alveolar stop
  Example: debt (English), dann (German)
• [s] voiceless alveolar fricative
  Example: suit (English), sān (Chinese), xa (Vietnamese), Haus, groß (German)
• [z] voiced alveolar fricative
  Example: zoo (English), Sie (German), da (Northern Vietnamese)
• [ts] voiceless alveolar affricate
  Example: Zeit, Potsdam (German)
• [ɹ] alveolar approximant
  Example: red (English)
• [l] alveolar lateral approximant
  Example: loop (English), lửa (Vietnamese), Leben (German)
• [l̩] the syllabic version
  Example: Mantel (German), bottle (English)
• [ɫ] velarized alveolar lateral approximant
  Example: milk (English)
• [ɾ] alveolar flap
  Example: better (English)
• [r] alveolar trill
  Example: reden (Austrian German, Swiss German)
• [ɗ] voiced alveolar implosive
  Example: đã (Vietnamese)

Postalveolar

Just like alveolar but retract the tongue back a little bit more. Common sounds:

• [ʃ] voiceless palato-alveolar fricative
  Example: shin (English), cher (French), schon (German)
• [ʒ] voiced palato-alveolar fricative
  Example: vision (English)
• [tʃ] voiceless palato-alveolar affricate
  Example: chin (English), Cello (German)
• [dʒ] voiced palato-alveolar affricate
  Example: gin (English)
• [ɕ] voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative
  Example: xiǎo (Mandarin)
• [ʂ] voiceless retroflex fricative
  Example: Shànghǎi (Mandarin), sáu (some Vietnamese accents)

Palatal

The roof of your mouth is the hard palate. You may know it as “the place that burns like hell when I eat pizza that is too hot.” You create Palatal consonants when you raise the tongue to this point and constrict airflow. Common sounds:

• [ɲ] palatal nasal
  Example: banyak (Malay), nyü3 (Chinese), nhà (Vietnamese)
• [ç] voiceless palatal fricative
  Example: nicht (German), durch (German), China (German)
• [j] palatal approximant
  Example: yes (English), Jahr (German), dê (Southern Vietnamese)

Velar

Behind your hard palate you have the velum or soft palate. Unlike the bony hard palate in front of it, the this consists of soft tissue. You make Velar Consonants when you raise the back of your tongue to the velum to block or restrict airflow. Common sounds:

• [ŋ] voiced velar nasal
  Example: ngà (Vietnamese), sing (English), lang (German)
• [k] voiceless velar stop
  Example:
  skip (English), gāo (Mandarin), cam (Vietnamese)
  [kʰ] kann, tag (German)
• [ɡ] voiced velar stop
  Example: get (English), gut (German)
• [x] voiceless velar fricative
  Example: loch (English, Scottish), nach (German), không (Vietnamese)
• [ɣ] voiced velar fricative
  Example: ghế (Vietnamese), damalige (German)
• [ʍ] voiceless labialized velar approximant
  Example: which (some English dialects, kind of sound like hw)
• [w] Voiced labio-velar approximant
  Example: weep (English), tuần (Vietnamese), wā (Mandarin)

Uvular

The tongue touch the area behind the hard palate

• [q] voiceless uvular stop
  Example: qissatun (Arabic)
• [ʁ] voiced uvular fricative
  Example: reden (German), rester (French)
• [ʀ] uvular trill
  Example: Paris (French)

Glottal

The glottis is actually two vocal folds (i.e. vocal cords). It acts as a sort of bottle cap to your windpipe. Inhale and then hold your breath for a few seconds while keeping your mouth open. What you are actually doing to keep the air from expelling out of your lungs by closing your glottis. Common sounds:

• [ʔ] glottal stop
  Example: uh-oh (English), ôi (Vietnamese), beamtet (German)
• [h] voiceless glottal “fricative”
  Example: hat (English), hiểu (Vietnamese), hat (German)

References:

• https://www.mimicmethod.com/ft101/place-of-articulation/#tab-con-18
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Standard_German
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Vietnamese
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFuOFZ0wFoHK2deKFldaLGA