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Phonology explains how sounds are formed using articulators such as the lips, tongue, and teeth. There are eight modes of articulation, including plosives, fricatives, and approximants. Each mode produces sound differently, such as by stopping airflow or vibrating the tongue.
Manner of articulation is usually a part of a phonology course that explains how sounds are formed and produced. The parts of the body that help create sound are called “articulators,” which can include the lips, tongue, and teeth. The nasal cavity, upper palate, mandible, and vocal cords are also considered articulators. By interacting with each other, these articulators produce sound. In phonology, there are eight modes of articulation that determine the production of sound.
The first mode of articulation are plosives or “oral stops”. In this process, the airflow is temporarily stopped to produce a sound. For example, to create the “t” sound, a person must bring their upper and lower teeth together, with the tongue behind them, and a gust of air forces the teeth apart, thus playing the “t”.
In the nasal stage, the oral cavity is completely closed, while the nasal cavity is open. Air flowing in and out of the nose produces the sound, as in “m” and “n”. You may notice that an “m” turns into a “b” when you pinch your nose. This is an indication that a sound is nasal; if the sound changes when the nasal cavity is closed.
Another way of articulation is the fricative, in which the airflow is partially obstructed. When some air comes out, it makes sounds like an “f” or an “s” when the air is forced out between the teeth or lips. Some fricatives contain a vibrating sound, such as “v” and “z”.
When a fricative is combined with an oral stop, it forms another mode of articulation called an affricate. Just as in “j” and “ch,” the sound is initiated by a spoken stop, but progresses into a fricative. It can be seen that the “ch” sound can be produced continuously, as opposed to the “t” which is played in a single instant.
Flap or tap is the fifth mode of articulation, in which the tongue “flaps” as it creates sound. An example is the “t” sound in “water:” by changing the position of the tongue, the “t” starts to sound like a “d” or “wader”. In the seventh mode, which is the trill, the tongue is made to vibrate by continuously exhaling the air against it. The Spanish language often uses the trill to produce a hard “r,” as in “para” and “perro.”
The approximant and lateral are modes of articulation that don’t require much oral and nasal closure to produce sound. This is the case with sounds like “y” and “h”, where the air just flows out. Laterally, the tongue touches the upper teeth and air is continually pushed against it, as in the sound of the letter “l”.
