Six Plosives
English has three pairs of plosives: /p b/, /t d/, and /k g/.
A plosive has three phases:
- closure (no air escapes)
- hold
- release (the burst)
What distinguishes /p/ from /b/ in English is chiefly when voicing begins relative to the release.
- In a stressed onset, /p t k/ are aspirated. A delay of 40 to 80 ms occurs before voicing starts (pin).
- After /s/, they are unaspirated (spin). English speakers hear a /p/, but Spanish speakers may hear it as /b/.
- Word-finally, plosives are often unreleased.
- Final /t/ is frequently glottalised at the vocal folds.
Nine Fricatives
| Place | Voiceless | Voiced |
|---|---|---|
| Labiodental | /f/ | /v/ |
| Dental | thin | this |
| Alveolar | /s/ | /z/ |
| Postalveolar | ship | measure |
| Glottal | /h/ |
- The sibilants (/s z/ and ship/measure) are much louder, with high-frequency energy. They carry English plural and possessive endings.
- The dental fricatives are cross-linguistically rare and late-acquired.
Common pitfall: describing English /b d g/ as purely "voiced". Initially, they lack vocal fold vibration during closure. They are distinguished from /p t k/ by lacking aspiration.