8. Types of plosion

[p, t, k, g, d] English plosives don’t always have the third stage of articulation (on-glade, hold, off-glide) when the air releases. Incomplete plosion happens in the following clusters [pp, pb, td, kd, ddz, gg]. The position of the organs of speech is the same for both consonants. The hold stage is prolongs until the release of the second consonant. In such clusters the first consonant has no plosion at all: attraction, book case, big cat. In a cluster of plosives or two affricates there is only one plosion and the first plosive is incomplete. If one makes two explosions it will sound un-English. Nasal plosion happens when occlusive is followed by the syllabic [m] or [n]. The soft palate lows and the compressed air escapes through the nasal cavity: happen, shipman, button. Lateral plosion happens when occlusive is followed by [l]. Before [l] the release is made by a sudden lowering of the sides of the tongue and the air escapes along the sides of tongue with lateral plosion: please, black, plosion.

9. Palatalization

Palatalization is the production of consonants with the blade, or front, of the tongue drawn up farther toward the roof of the mouth (hard palate) than in their normal pronunciation. Palatalized consonants may be distinguished from palatal consonants, in which the front of the tongue and the hard palate form the primary articulation. Palatalization also refers to the process of sound change in which a nonpalatal consonant, like k, changes to a palatal consonant, like ch or sh; English occlusive consonants are not palatalized, but before front, close or mid – open vowels they are bit clearer than before back vowels: part – Pete, top-tip, door-day.English constrictive consonants are not palatalized. The affricates are palato –alveolar, they are slightly palatalized, because the front part of the tongue is raised towards the hard palate, but before front and mixed, close or mid – open vowels they are clearer than before back ones e. g chance – cheese, just – gist. English fricatives exept [] are non-palatalized , only before front close and mid – open vowels they are a bit clearer than before back ones e. g. father – feet; heart – heat; thunder – theme. English sonorants except [] are non – palatalized

10. English vowels. The principles of classification

Vowels are normally made with the air stream that meets no closure or narrowing in the mouth, pharyngal and nasal cavities. That is why in the production of vowel sounds there is no noise component characteristic of consonant sounds. On the articulatory level the description of vowels notes changes: in the stability of articulation; in the tongue position, in the lip position, in the character of the vowel end. Besides that vowels differ in respect of their length.

11. The classification of English vowels according to the stability of articulation.

All English vowels are divided into three groups: monophthongs , diphthongs , and diphthongoids.

Monophthongs are vowels the articulation of which is almost unchanging. The quality of such vowels is relatively pure. The English monophthongs are [ɑ:, ʌ, æ, ɪ, e, ɒ, ɔ, ɜ:, ʊ, ə]. In the pronunciation of diphthongs the organs of speech glide from one vowel position to another within one syllable. The starting point, the nucleus, is strong and distinct. The glide which shows the direction of the quality change is very weak. In fact diphthonfs consist of two clearly perceptible vowel elements. The English diphthongs are [eɪ, aɪ, ɔɪ, aʊ, ɛʊ, ɪə, ɛə, ʊə]. In the pronunciation of diphthongoids the articulation is slightly changing but the difference between the starting point and the end is not so distinct as it is in the case of diphthongs. There are two diphthongoids in English [i:, u:].