Sonorants

• Sonorants are sounds pronounced with tone prevailing over noise.

• According to the manner of articulation sonorants may be occlusive (when a complete obstruction is formed) – [m. n, ŋ ] and constrictive (when an incomplete obstruction is formed) – [l,w,j,r].

• They may be nasal and oral, depending on the position of the soft palate which defines the direction of the air stream. When the soft palate is raised the air goes to the mouth, so the sonorants are oral – [l,w,j,r]. If the soft palate is lowered the air escapes through the nose and the sounds are nasal – [ m,n, ŋ ].

• According to the direction of the air stream oral sonorants may be medial and lateral. If the air stream passes along the sides of the tongue lateral consonants are produced – [l]. If the air goes down the centre of the tongue the sounds are medial – [w, j, r].

• According to the place of articulation consonants may be bilabial [m,w] when both lips take part in their formation, forelingual, apical, alveolar [n,l] pronounced with the tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge, palatal [j] articulated with the front part of the tongue raised to the hard palate, velar [ ŋ ] when the back part of the tongue is against the soft palate.

• Palatalization.

English sonorants except [j] are non-palatalized.

Occlusive nasal sonorants

[m] – occlusive, nasal, bilabial

Articulation – The lips are firmly kept together.

The soft palate is lowered and the air goes through the nose.

The vocal cords vibrate.

[n] - occlusive, nasal, forelingual, apical, alveolar

Articulation – The tip of the tongue is pressed against the alveolar ridge.

The soft palate is lowered and the air escapes through the nose.

The vocal cords vibrate.

[ ŋ ] - occlusive, nasal, backlingual, velar

Articulation – The back part of the tongue is pressed to the soft palate.

The soft palate is lowered and the air goes through the nose.

The vocal cords vibrate.

Constrictive oral sonorants

[l] – constrictive, lateral, forelingual, apical, alveolar

Articulation – The tip of the tongue is in firm contact with the alveolar ridge.

The soft palate is raised and the air goes freely to the mouth.

The sides of the tongue are lowered and the air can pass between them and the palate.

The vocal cords are brought together and vibrate.

[w] – constrictive, medial, bilabial, bicentral

Articulation – The lips are firmly rounded and slightly protruded forming an incomplete obstruction.

The soft palate is raised and the air goes to the mouth.

The back part of the tongue is raised towards the soft palate forming the secondary focus.

The sides of the tongue are raised and the air goes along the central part of the tongue.

The vocal cords vibrate.

[j] - constrictive, medial, mediolingual, palatal

Articulation – The front part of the tongue is raised to the hard palate.

The sides of the tongue are raised and the air goes along the central part of it.

The lips are generally neutral or spread.

The soft palate is raised and the air goes to the mouth.

The vocal cords are kept together and vibrate.

[r] - constrictive, medial, forelingual, cacuminal, post-alveolar

Articulation – The tip of the tongue is held in a position near to but not touching the back of the alveolar ridge, the front part of the tongue is low and the back is rather high so that the tongue has a curved shape (cacuminal articulation).

The position of the lips is determined by that of the following vowel.

The soft palate is raised and the air flows quietly between the tip of the tongue and the palate.

The vocal cords vibrate.