Listening and Speaking: English Consonant Sounds and Their Pronunciation for SS 1

Consonants

Performance Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. describe consonants;
2. identify consonants;
3. pronounce consonants;
4. give appropriate examples of words in which consonants occur word-initially, medially and finally.

Understanding Consonants

A consonant is a speech sound produced by partially or completely obstructing the flow of air from the lungs through the vocal tract.

Unlike vowels, where air flows freely, consonant sounds involve some form of blockage or narrowing at different points in the mouth or throat. This obstruction can be made by the lips, teeth, tongue, or the roof of the mouth.

The English language has 24 consonant sounds. These sounds are represented by various letters or combinations of letters in written English. It is important to remember that a consonant letter does not always correspond to a single consonant sound, and sometimes consonant sounds are represented by vowel letters or silent letters.

Identifying English Consonant Sounds

Identifying consonant sounds involves recognising the specific sounds produced when the airflow is obstructed. These sounds are distinct from vowel sounds. Phonetic symbols, particularly those from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), are used to represent these sounds accurately, regardless of how they are spelled.

The following table shows the common consonant sounds in English and examples of words where they appear:

The consonant sounds include:

1. /p/ as in pen
2. /b/ as in bat
3. /t/ as in top
4. /d/ as in dog
5. /k/ as in cat
6. /g/ as in go
7. /f/ as in fan
8. /v/ as in van
9. /θ/ as in thin
10. /ð/ as in this
11. /s/ as in sun
12. /z/ as in zoo
13. /ʃ/ as in she
14. /ʒ/ as in measure
15. /h/ as in hat
16. /m/ as in man
17. /n/ as in no
18. /ŋ/ as in sing
19. /l/ as in leg
20. /r/ as in rat
21. /w/ as in we
22. /j/ as in yes
23. /tʃ/ as in chair
24. /dʒ/ as in jam

Pronouncing Consonants Appropriately

Accurate pronunciation of consonants is essential for clear communication. It involves learning to position the lips, tongue, and other speech organs correctly to create the intended sound.

Tips for Consonant Pronunciation

1. Listen Carefully: Pay close attention to how native speakers pronounce consonant sounds. Use audio-visual materials and language laboratory resources to hear the sounds repeatedly.
2. Observe Mouth Movements: Use a face mirror to watch your own mouth, lips, and tongue as you try to make the sounds. Compare your movements to those of a speaker you are imitating.
3. Practice Articulation: Consciously try to make the sounds, focusing on the point of obstruction. For example, for /p/ and /b/, the lips come together and then release air. For /f/ and /v/, the upper teeth touch the lower lip.
4. Use a Pronouncing Dictionary: A pronouncing dictionary provides the phonetic transcription of words, which helps in understanding the correct sounds. It also often includes audio pronunciations.
5. Repeat Minimal Pairs: Practice words that differ by only one consonant sound (minimal pairs) to train your ear and mouth to distinguish and produce subtle differences.

Consonants in Word Positions

Consonant sounds can appear at the beginning (word-initial), in the middle (word-medial), or at the end (word-final) of words. Recognising and pronouncing them correctly in these different positions is a key skill.

Word-Initial Position

A consonant sound is in the word-initial position when it is the first sound in a word.

Examples of consonant sounds in the word-initial position include:

1. /p/: pen, play, park
2. /b/: book, ball, bright
3. /t/: table, tree, talk
4. /d/: door, dream, dark
5. /k/: cat, key, queen
6. /f/: fish, fast, phone
7. /s/: sun, sing, city
8. /m/: man, milk, mother
9. /l/: lamp, love, light
10. /r/: rat, run, read

Word-Medial Position

A consonant sound is in the word-medial position when it occurs somewhere in the middle of a word, not at the very beginning or end.

Examples of consonant sounds in the word-medial position include:

1. /p/: apple, happy, captain
2. /b/: rabbit, subject, robber
3. /t/: water, little, city
4. /d/: ladder, middle, student
5. /k/: backer, lucky, accord
6. /f/: coffee, lifting, telephone
7. /s/: message, classic, decision
8. /m/: hummer, camel, computer
9. /l/: fellow, silent, calendar
10. /r/: marry, carry, parade
11. /ŋ/: singing, finger, hanger
12. /tʃ/: kitchen, watching, future

Word-Final Position

A consonant sound is in the word-final position when it is the last sound in a word.

Examples of consonant sounds in the word-final position include:

1. /p/: cap, stop, jump
2. /b/: rub, tab, club
3. /t/: cat, hat, fast
4. /d/: bed, good, hand
5. /k/: back, duck, book
6. /f/: leaf, rough, laugh
7. /s/: bus, glass, house
8. /m/: dram, team, home
9. /l/: ball, cool, fill
10. /n/: run, sun, sign
11. /ŋ/: sing, long, strong
12. /tʃ/: watch, catch, rich

Distinguishing Consonants Using Minimal Pairs

Minimal pairs are pairs of words that differ by only one sound, and that sound changes the meaning of the word. Practising minimal pairs helps learners to hear and produce the subtle differences between similar consonant sounds.

Examples of minimal pairs for distinguishing consonant sounds include:

1. /p/ vs. /b/:
   1. pat / bat
   2. pin / bin
   3. park / bark
2. /t/ vs. /d/:
   1. tin / din
   2. toe / doe
   3. try / dry
3. /k/ vs. /g/:
   1. cap / gap
   2. cold / gold
   3. kill / gill
4. /f/ vs. /v/:
   1. fan / van
   2. fine / vine
   3. fat / vat
5. /s/ vs. /z/:
   1. sip / zip
   2. seal / zeal
   3. sue / zoo
6. /θ/ vs. /ð/:
   1. thin / then
   2. thigh / thy
   3. three / the (as in ‘the book’)
7. /ʃ/ vs. /tʃ/:
   1. ship / chip
   2. share / chair
   3. shop / chop