Voice, Place, Manner
Any consonant can be identified by answering three questions in order:
1. Voicing. Are the vocal folds vibrating? The /s/ in sue is voiceless. The /z/ in zoo is voiced.
2. Place of articulation. Where is the constriction? English uses eight places:
| Place | Articulators | English examples |
|---|---|---|
| Bilabial | Both lips | /p/ /b/ /m/ |
| Labiodental | Lower lip and upper teeth | /f/ /v/ |
| Dental | Tongue tip and upper teeth | the two th sounds |
| Alveolar | Tongue tip and alveolar ridge | /t/ /d/ /s/ /z/ /n/ /l/ |
| Postalveolar | Tongue blade behind ridge | sh and zh sounds |
| Palatal | Tongue body and hard palate | /j/ as in yes |
| Velar | Tongue body and soft palate | /k/ /g/ and ng |
| Glottal | Vocal folds | /h/ |
3. Manner of articulation. What kind of obstruction is formed?
Manner Categories
- Plosive (stop): complete closure, then release (/p b t d k g/).
- Fricative: a narrow gap creating turbulent friction (/f v s z h/).
- Affricate: a stop released into a fricative (ch, j).
- Nasal: oral closure with a lowered velum (/m n/, ng).
- Approximant: a wider narrowing without turbulence (/w j r/), including the lateral /l/.
So, voiceless alveolar plosive uniquely identifies /t/.
Cross-Linguistic Rarity
The two th sounds appear in under 10% of languages. They are often the last acquired by children and first substituted by learners.
Common pitfall: treating the three-term label as a name to memorise. It is a physical recipe. Follow each instruction to produce the correct sound.