occlusive , in the production of which a complete obstruction is formed; b)
constrictive , in the production of which an incomplete obstruction is formed. The
phonological relevance of this feature could be exemplified in the following
oppositions:
[ti : ] – [ si : ] tea – sea (ocl. – constr.)
[si : d] - [si : z] seed – seas (ocl. – constr.)
[pul] - [ful] pull – full (ocl. – constr.)
[bout] – [vout] boat – vote (ocl. – constr.)
Each of the two classes is divided into
noise consonants and
sonorants . The
division is based on the factor of prevailing either noise or tone component in the
auditory characteristic of a sound. In their turn noise consonants are divided into
plosive consonants (or
stops ) and
affricates .
Consonants
occlusive constrictive
noise consonants sonorants noise consonants sonorants
plosives affricates medial lateral (stops)
Another point of view is shared by a group of Soviet phoneticians. They
suggest that the first and basic principle of classification should be the degree of
noise. Such consideration leads to dividing English consonants into 2 general kinds:
noise consonants and s
onorants . Sonorants are sounds that differ greatly from all
other consonants of the language and are consonants that phoneticians have
traditionally a lot of argument about. This is largely due to the fact that in their
production the air passage between the two organs of speech is fairly wide (wider
than in the production of noise consonants). As a result, the auditory effect is tone,
not noise. This peculiarity makes sonorants sound more like vowels than consonants.
On this ground some of the British phoneticians refer some of these consonants to the
class of
semivowels , [r], [j], [w], for example. Acoustically sonorants are opposed to
all other consonants because they are characterized by sharply defined formant
structure and the total energy of most of them is very high.
42
The place of articulation is another characteristic of English consonants which
would be considered from the phonological point of view. The place of articulation is
determined by the active organ of speech against the point of articulation. According
to this principle the English consonants are classed into: