The consonant, also referred to as the consonant, is the term used to refer to any sound which, when pronounced, impedes the flow of the breath and narrows the voice of the speaker. The counterpart is formed by the vowels (a, e, i, o, u), the pronunciation of which neither leads to the closure nor to the narrow, so the air can flow unhindered. All other letters thus find a correspondence in the consonants.
Term
The term can be derived from the Latin (consonare). The Latin con means that sonars can be translated with sound. The consonant is thus a mitkut or a mitlaut. To illustrate the principle linguistically, it makes sense to look at a simple example.
Can you please shopping?
In the example above, all consonants and vowels were highlighted in color. Now you can try to pronounce the sentence clearly and to pay attention to how the air flows during speech. In the vowels it is noticeable that the mouth is open when speaking, which is why the sound can escape clearly. Accordingly, the air flow is not disturbed. This is different with the consonants, an obstacle is overcome.
Such an inhibition is referred to as an inhibitor. The individual consonants of a language can be distinguished in what place in the speech apparatus this obstacle sits. If we speak a p, falls on that we make it with the lips, we speak n, the sound is formed at the tooth dam.
If you try the whole alphabet, you notice that there are quite different places in the oral cavity, which are used in the articulation of the letters as well as the sounds. These are called articulation places. The following is a simplified representation of the places of articulation which are used when speaking consonants in the speech apparatus. Subsequently, a detailed explanation.
The articulation places when speaking consonants
Note to the graphics: Places of articulation © Ishwar, Editing: Wortwuchs, License: CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Articulations of the consonants
The diagram shows that the individual voices are formed at quite different locations in the oral cavity and in the entire speech apparatus. Some are formed almost in the throat, others are spoken and formed with their lips. Let’s go through the whole thing from front to back.
A rather coarse classification of the individual places of articulation is shown by the diagram. Linguists and linguists, however, know a more subtle distinction. This classification is, however, sufficient for a general view of the subject.
Examples of articulation Notes
bilabial leg, pain, toll A Bilabial is formed with both lips, in German the sounds [b] and [p] are exemplary.
labiodental Fan, Van Are sounds that are formed with the lips and teeth, that is, the lip sounds like [f] and [v].
alveolar Tag, roof, name Alveolare are formed on the upper tooth dam, thus the elevation behind the incisors. In German, for example, we know [t], [d] or [n].
postalveolar beautiful, garage Are lutes, which are formed just behind the tooth dam. In German, this applies to [ʃ], thus sch. However, some borrowing from foreign languages also allows this sound, like the second G in Garage, [ʒ].
palatal I Palatale consonants are formed on the palate. The German ch finds in many words a correspondence for this sound.
velar Child, good A velar is formed on the posterior palate, while the back of the tongue impedes the flow of air. This sound occurs in German [g] and [k].
uvular red, revenge Uvular means that the sound is formed on the palate. The sound sounds almost like a rattle, [ʁ].
Glottal consonants are formed at the back, they are also referred to as “crackling”, which is used when separating word boundaries [ʔ]. In addition, the [h] is formed here.
Note: In order to understand the above overview, it is important to distinguish between consonants as a term for sounds, as well as the so-called consonant letters, as encountered in German lessons. The sounds are, in fact, all those with which there is a hindrance to the air current, so the correspondence as a letter is sometimes misleading.
Types of articulations of the consonants
Besides the different articulations, there are, of course, very different ways of pronouncing a consonant. There is a common distinction between plosives, reeducts, nasals, lateral (lateral) and dither (vibrantes).
In the case of the Plosives, the air flow is impeded and can not escape from the mouth, but then discharges suddenly, because the mouth is opened, examples are the letters b, d, p or also d. Fricatives do not completely block the airflow, s