Practice question · Numerical answer
How many plosive phonemes does English have?
Hints
- Three places, two members at each.
- Six.
Show the answer
6
Why
Six: /p b/, /t d/, /k g/. Three places with a two-way contrast at each is a common and economical pattern, many languages have exactly this, and languages with four-way contrasts at each place, such as Hindi, are the ones that make English look sparse.
Practise English Consonants I: Plosives and Fricatives
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