Voicing and Consonant

1.
The Larynx
The larynx is in the neck. Its main structure is made of cartilage, a material
that is similar to bone but less hard. When we breathe, the air passes through the
trachea and the larynx.
The front of the larynx comes to a point and you can feel this point at the front
of your neck, usually it called by Adams Apple. The larynx structure is made of
two large cartilages. Inside the box made by these cartilages are the vocal folds,
two thick flaps of muscle rather like a pair of lips.
The Arytenoids cartilages are attached to the top of the cricoids cartilage but
they can move so as to move the vocal folds apart or together. We say it Glottis
to refer to the opening between the vocal folds. If the vocal folds are apart we say
that the glottis is open, if they are pressed together we say that the glottis is
closed.
Let us first look at four easily recognizable states of the vocal folds.
a. Wide apart.
The vocal folds are wide apart for normal breathing and usually during
voiceless consonant like P, F, S
b. Narrow Glottis.
If air is passed through the glottis when it is narrowed, the result is a
fricative sound for which the symbol is h. sound is not very different from a
whispered vowel. And it is called a voiceless glottal fricative. Practice to say

ahahahahahahaha.
c. Position for vocal folds vibration.

When the edges of the vocal folds are touching each other, or nearly
touching, air passing through the glottis will usually cause vibration. Air is
pressed up from the lungs and this air pushes the vocal folds apart so that a
little air escape. As the air flows quickly past the edges of the vocal folds, the
folds are brought.
d. Vocal folds tightly closed.
The vocal folds can be firmly pressed together so that the air can not pass
between them. When this happens in speech we call it a glottal stop or glottal
plosive. Practice this by coughing gently; then practice the sequence a?a?a?a?
a?a?a.
2. Respiration and Voicing.

How is air moved into and out of the lungs? It is important to know something
about this, since it will make it easier to understand many aspects of speech,
particularly the nature of stress and intonation. The lungs are like sponges that can
fill with air, and they are contained within the rib cage. If the rib cage is lifted
upwards and outwards there is more space in the chest for the lungs and they
expand, with the result that they take in more air.
We can make changes in the vocal folds themselves for example made longer
or shorter, more tense or more relaxed or be more or less strongly pressed
together. The pressure of the air below the vocal folds can also be varied. Three
main differences are found:
a. Variations in intensity.
We produce voicing with high intensity for shouting, for example, and with
low intensity for speaking quietly.
b. Variations in frequency.
If the vocal folds vibrate rapidly, the voicing is at high frequency; if there are
fewer vibrations per second the frequency is lower.
c. Variations in quality.
We can produce different sounding voice qualities, such as those we might call
harsh, breathy, murmured or creaky.
3. Plosive
Plosive is a consonant articulation with the following characteristic:
One articulator is moved against another, or two, so as to form a stricture
that allows no air to escape from the vocal tract.
After this stricture has been formed and air has been compressed behind it,
it is released, that is air is allowed to escape.
If the air behind the stricture is still under pressure when the plosive is
released, it is probable that the escape of air will produce noise loud
enough to be heard. This noise is called plosion.
There may be voicing during part or all of the plosive articulation.
To give a complete description of a plosive consonant we must describe what
happens at each of the following four phases in its production:
The first phases is when the articulator or articulators move to form the
stricture for the plosive. We call this the closure phase.

The second phase is when the compressed air is stopped from escaping.
We call this the hold phase.

The third phase is when the articulators used to form the stricture are
moved so as to allow air to escape. This is the release phase.

The fourth phase is what happens immediately after the third phase, so we
will call it the post-release phase.

4. English Plosive
English has six plosive consonants, p, t, k, b, d, g. The plosive has different
places of articulation.
P & B are bilabial; the lips are pressed together. T and D are alveolar; the
tongue blade is pressed against the alveolar ridge. And K and G are velar; the back
of the tongue is pressed against the area where the hard palate ends and the soft
palate begins.
P, T and K are always voiceless. B, D and G are sometimes fully voiced,

sometimes partly voiced and sometimes voiceless. All six plosives can occur at
the beginning of a word (initial position), between other sounds (medial position)
and at the end of a word (final position).
a. Initial Position (CV)
The closure phase for P, T, K and B, D, G takes place silently. During the hold
phase there is no voicing in P, T, K; in B, D, G there is normally very little
voicing.
If the speaker is pronouncing an initial b, d, or g very slowly and carefully
there may be voicing during the entire hold phase while in rapid speech there may
be no voicing at all.
The release of P, T, K is followed by audible plosion, that is a bust of noise.
The release of B, D, G is followed by weak plosion, and this happens at about the
same time as, or shortly after the beginning of voicing.
The most noticeable and important difference, then, between initial P, T, K and
B, D, G is the aspiration of the voiceless plosive P, T, K.
b. Medial Position (VCV)

The pronunciation of P, T, K and B, D, G in medial position depends to some
extent on whether the syllables preceding and following the plosive are stressed.
In general we can say that a medial plosive may have the characteristic either of
final or of initial plosive.
c. Final Position (VC)
Final B, D, G normally have little voicing; if there is voicing it is at the
beginning of the hold phase. P, T, K are of course voiceless. The plosion following
the release of P, T, K and B, D, G is very weak and often not audible. The
difference between P, T, K and B, D, G is primarily the fact that vowels preceding
P, T, K are much shorter. The shortening effect of P, T, K is most noticeable when
the vowel is one of the long vowels or diphthongs.
5. Fortis and Lenis
The voiceless plosive P, T, K are sometimes called Fortis (meaning strong)
and B, D, G are then called Lenis (meaning weak). It is probably true that P, T, K
are produced with more force.
The plosive phonemes of English can be presented in the form of a table as
shown bellow.

Voicing and Consonant

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1.

whispered vowel. And it is called a voiceless glottal fricative. Practice to say

c. Position for vocal folds vibration.

d. Vocal folds tightly closed.

2. Respiration and Voicing.

stricture for the plosive. We call this the closure phase.

We call this the hold phase.

moved so as to allow air to escape. This is the release phase.

will call it the post-release phase.

P, T and K are always voiceless. B, D and G are sometimes fully voiced,

b. Medial Position (VCV)

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