Consonants

Standard American English has 24 consonant phonemes: 

/p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/, /s/, /ʃ/, /tʃ/, /h/,

/b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /ð/, /z/, /ʒ/, /dʒ/,

/m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /r/, /l/, /w/ and /j/ 

24 consonant phonemes

 Introduction to Consonants

Vocal tract

The tongue

The IPA chart for English consonants

Place of articulation

Bilabial

Labiodental

Interdental

Alveolar

Palatal

Velar

Glottal

Manner of articulation

Obstruents

Plosives (stops)

Fricatives

Affricates

Sonorants

Nasals

Liquids

Glides

Voicing 

Voicing for grammar

 From noun to verb
            From adjective to verb
            From singular to plural

Voice assimilation

       Voicing of -s or -es

      Voicing of -ed

    Consonant dropping in consonant clusters 

Pre-fortis clipping

    Minimal pairs for pre-fortis clipping

Plosives (Stops)

Recap
      Phonemes vs allophones

 Glottal stopping for /t/, [ʔ]
            Alveolar flapping for /t/, [ɾ]
            Allophones of plosives
            Allophones of voiceless plosives

          Aspirated
                     Unaspirated
                     Held

Devoicing of voiced plosives

Bilabial plosives /p/ and /b/

    Complementary Distribution vs free variation
    Silent /p/ words
    Silent /b/ words
    /p/, /b/ minimal pairs
    /p/, /b/ sentences

Alveolar plosives /t/ and /d/

Allophones of /t/
    Flap T        

    After stressed vowel and before unstressed vowel
    Before the syllabic L
    After an r-colored vowel

    Silent T
    Glottal stop /ʔ/

      Before the syllabic N

Velar plosives /k/ and /g/

/k/, /g/ minimal pairs
/k/, /g/ sentences

Fricatives

Labiodental fricatives /f/ and /v/

/f/, /v/ minimal pairs

/f/, /v/ sentences

/f/, /p/ minimal pairs

/f/, /p/ sentences

/b/, /v/ minimal pairs

/b/, /v/ sentences

Interdental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/

/θ/, /ð/ words

/f/, /θ/ minimal pairs

/t/, /θ/ minimal pairs

/t/, /θ/ sentences

/d/, /ð/ minimal pairs

/d/, /ð/ sentences

Alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/

/s/, /z/ minimal pairs

/s/ and /z/ as grammar particle sounds

/s/, /θ/ minimal pairs

/ð/, /z/ minimal pairs

/s/, /z/, /θ/, and /ð/ sentences

Palatal fricatives /ʃ/ and /ʒ/

Words with /ʃ/

Words with /ʒ/

French origin words

Word endings with -SION, -SUAL, -SURE

From /z/ to /ʒ/

/ʃ/ and /ʒ/ minimal pairs

/ʃ/ and /Ʒ/ sentences

/s/, /ʃ/ minimal pairs

/z/, /ʒ/ minimal pairs

Glottal fricative /h/

Silent H words

/h/, ∅ minimal pairs

/f/, /h/ minimal pairs

/h/ dropping in connected speech

The ‘h’ pronouns

The ‘have’ verb

Affricates /ʧ/ and /ʤ/

/ʧ/, /ʤ/ minimal pairs

/ʧ/, /ʤ/ sentences

/ʒ/, /ʤ/ minimal pairs

/ʃ/, tʃ/ minimal pairs

/ʤ/, /z/ minimal pairs

Nasals, /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/

Syllabic consonants

Bilabial nasal: /m/

Syllabic /əm/

Alveolar nasal: /n/

Syllabic /ən/

Velar nasal /ŋ/

Syllabic /əŋ/

/m/, /n/ minimal pairs

/n/, /ŋ/ minimal pairs

/m/, /n/ and /ŋ/ sentences

Liquids, /l/ and /r/

Lateral liquid /l/

Light L

           Light L words
                L Blend words
                Light L sentences

Dark L

        Dark L words
        Dark L sentences

Retroflex Liquid /r/

Prevocalic R

    Prevocalic R words

    R bland words

 

Vocalic R

     Vocalic R words
          Vocalic R sentences

Intervocalic R

    “A” before “R”
    “E” before “R”
    Mary–marry–merry merger
    “I” before “R”
    Mirror–nearer merger
    “O” before “R”
    “U” before “R”

    /l/, /r/ minimal pairs

    Challenging words with L and R

    /lr/ combination words

    /rl/ combination words

Glides, /w/ and /j/

/w/ and /j/ vs /u/ and /i/

Labial glide /w/

Words with /w/
/w/, ∅ minimal pairs
/v/, /w/ minimal pairs
/w/ sentences

Palatal glide /j/

‘Y’ as a vowel
‘Y’ as consonant
Words with /j/
Words with yod- dropping
Posh English vs working-class English
/j/ - ∅ minimal pairs
/w/, /j/ minimal pairs
/j/, /dʒ/ minimal pairs
/j/ sentences