Plosive Consonants

Plosive Consonants

• Plosives: Oral stops– The air is stopped completely in the oral cavity

for a brief period.– Then it explodes with the release of the

closure, producing loud-enough noise to be heard.

– English plosives: • Bilabials: /p, b/• Alveolars: /t, d/• Velars: /k, g/

Plosive Consonants• Bilabials: /p, b/• /p/ is Voiceless, Bilabial, Plosive.

Party → /ˈpɑː.ti/ speak → /spiːk/ lip → /lɪp/

• /b/ is Voiced, Bilabial, Plosive.bird → /bɜːd/ abandon → /əˈbæn.dən/ cab → /kæb/

Plosive Consonants• Alveolars: /t, d/• /t/ is Voiceless, Alveolar, Plosive.

tea → /tiː/ heater → /ˈhiː.tə/ cut → /kʌt/

• /d/ is Voiced, Alveolar, Plosive.drive → /draɪv/ edit → /ˈed.ɪt/ bed → /bed/

Plosive Consonants• Velars: /k, g/• /k/ is Voiceless, Velar, Plosive.

cat → /kæt/ action → /ˈæk.ʃən/ book → /bʊk/

• /g/ is Voiced, Velar, Plosive.gift → /gɪft/ eagle → /ˈiː.gl+/ egg → /eg/

Plosive Consonants

Differences

Group A Group B

/p/ /b/

/t/ /d/

/k/ /g/

Plosive Consonants1- Voicing

- G.A → V. Cords → Open → no vibration → voiceless.

- G.B → V. Cords → Closed gently → vibration → Voiced.

2- Production:-

- G.A is difficult to produce. We need effort.

- G.B is easy.

- Perception:- G.A is difficult to be heard.

G.B is easy to be heard.

Plosive Consonants3- Length:-

- Voiceless plosives Shorten the preceding Vowel. For example:- heart [hɑ•t ] , hard [ha:d].

4- Aspiration:- - G.A has aspiration. For example:- pet [phet].

- G.B has no aspiration. For example:- bet [bet].

Plosive Consonants

AspirationThe phenomenon in which a small “puff of air” escapes through the vocal folds after the release phase. It is transcribed as [ Ch ].

Plosive Consonants

Rules of Aspiration

1- Voiceless plosive + a vowel sound → aspirated.

/p/ pen → /pen/ → [phen]

/t/ ten → /ten/ → [then]

/k/ cat → /kæt/ → [khæt]

Plosive Consonants

Rules of Aspiration

2- /s/ + Voiceless plosive → unaspirated.

/p/ spy → /spaı/ → [spaı]

/t/ stay → /steı/ → [steı]

/k/ sky → /skaı/ → [skaı]

Plosive Consonants

Rules of Aspiration

3- Voiceless plosives in final position → unaspirated.

/p/ stop → /stɒp/ → [stɒp]

/t/ start → /start/ → [start]

/k/ take → /teık/ → [teık]

Thanks for listening

Done by

Farhad Ahmad