ONLINE CLIPPING

When we produced sounds “p, b, or m” we articulate by bringing both lips together. These sounds are called bilabial. We also use our lips to form sounds f and v.  To produce these sounds we articulate by touching the lower lip to upper teeth. The sounds are called labiodental. Labio is referring to lips and dental to teeth. The three bilabial sounds and the two labiodental sounds are specified as [+labial] and [-labial]

To produce sounds represented by the th, the tip of tongue is inserted between the upper teeth and lower teeth. These sounds are called interdental or sound between the teeth. Labial and interdental  sounds are articulated at the front of oral cavity. The phonetic feature to distinguish this class is [+anterior]. The phonetic of labial sound are [+anterior] and [+labial]. The phonetic feature of interdental sounds are [+interior] and [-labial].

To articulate d, n, t, s, or z the tip of tongue is raised to the alveolar ridge. Sound produced by rising the front part of the tongue to the alveolar ridge are called alveolar sounds. The t and s are voiceless alveolar sounds and the sound d and z are voiced alveolar sounds. Sound n is voiced nasal sound.

Alveolar sounds like labial and interdental sounds articulated at the front of the alveolar ridge and therefore are also specified as [+anterior]

Another class of sounds is produced by raising the back of tongue to the soft palate or velum. The example sounds are k, g, and ŋ. The k is the voiceless nasal velar. These three sounds are obviously [-anterior] because they are articulated by rising the back part of the tongue to the velum which is the back part of the root of the mouth.

To produce the sounds in the middle of the words mesher, measure, the front part of the tongue is raised to a point of the hard palate just behind the alveolar ridge. The voiceless sounds in word mesher  is spelled s. these two sound never begins word. These voiceless palatal sounds begins word ‘shoe, sure, shut,  sugar’ and ends word ‘rush and push’. These sounds are articulate neither at the front nor at the back of the mouth. Therefore, the classes of sounds are specified as [-anterior] and [-back]. Alveolar and palatal has feature [+coronal] that used to distinguish between all other class of sounds which are [-coronal]

Retroflex sounds are sounds produced by the tip of tongue and the back of the alveolar ridge. Many speaker of English do not use retroflex sound at all. Retroflex sounds occur initially in words such as rye, row, ray. Speaker who pronounce r at all end of word may also have retroflex sound with the tip of tongue raised in words hour, air