CLASSES AND FEATURES

OF PHONETICS

Major
class
features

Distinguishing properties

Place
Features

CLASSES AND
F E AT U R E S O F
PHONETICS

Consonant
al Features
Voice

Where sound is placed

Manner
Features
Sound release

Vocalic
Features
Tongue and lips

M a jo r cl a s s f e at u re s

[ Syllabic ]

[ Consonantal ]

[ Sonorant ]

[ Syllabic ]
Distinguishes vowels
from sounds

[+]

[-]

Nucleus of a syllable
(ex: [r b t] )

Is not syllabi nuclei

(ex: [r b t] )

[ ] & [ ]

[r] , [b] & [t]

Sounds other than
vowels may be syllabic
[btn]

[ Consonantal ]
Distinguish consonants,
obstruents, liquids, and
nasals from vowels and
glides

[ Sonorant ]
Distinguish from oral
stops, affricates and
fricatives

Oral stricture of close

approximation
(ex: [p] [l] [t] )

Stricture is more
open than close
(ex: [j] [e] )

Continuing resonant
sound
Vowels, nasals,
liquids
(ex: [r] [l] )

Stops, fricatives,
affricates
(ex: [p] [b] )

Place Features
[ Anterior ]

[ Coronal ]

[+]
[ Anterior ]

Sounds produced no further back in

the oral tract than alveolar ridge

[ Coronal ]

Sounds produced in area bounded by

teeth and hard palate

[ + ]
Anterior
[ - ]
Coronal

[ + ]
Anterior
[ + ]
Coronal

[ - ]
Anterior
[ + ]
Coronal

[ - ]
Anterior
[ - ]
Coronal

Labials
(ex: [m] [f] [v]
[p] [b])

Alveolar and
dentals
(ex: [l] [r] [n]
[t] [d] [] []
[s] [z])

Palatals
(ex: [j] [] []
[t] [d ] )

Velars
[w] [] [k] [g]
[h]

Manner Features
[ Continuant ]

[ Nasal ]

[ Strident ]

[ Lateral ]

[ D e l ay e d
Re l e a s e ]

[+]

[-]

[ Continuant ]

There is airflow through

oral cavity
(ex: [j] [w] [l] [r])

Airflow stopped in
oral cavity
(ex: [n] [m] )

[ Nasal ]

Produced with velum

lowered and air flows
through nasal
(ex: [m] [n] [] )

Without airflow
(ex: [j] [w])

[ Strident ]

Complex constriction
resulting in noisy airflow
(ex: [s] [z] )

Without complex
constriction
(ex: [j] [w] )

[ Lateral ]
[ Delayed
Release ]

Separates [ l ] sounds from others

Produced with stop
closure in oral cavity
followed by frication at
some point
(ex: [] [] )

Others

Vocalic Features
[ High ]

[ Low ]

[ Back ]

[ Ro u n d ]

[ Fr o n t ]

[ Te n s e ]

[ Advanced tongue
root ]

[ High ]
Body of tongue raised
above neutral position

[+]

[-]

Vowels
[i] [I] [] [u]
Consonants

Not raised

[j] [k] [g] [] [] [] [] []

[w]

[ Low ]
Tongue is lowered with
respect to neutral
position
[ Back ]
Body of tongue is
retracted
[ Front ]
The tongue is fronted
from the neutral
position

Vowels
[] [] [] []
Consonants
[h]

Without
lowering

Consonants
[k] [g] []
Vowels
:[u] [] [o] [] [] []

All consonants
except velars

[i] [] [e] [] []

The tongue is
not fronted

[+]

[-]

[ Round ]

Produced with rounded

lips
[w] [u] [] [o] []

Produced with
neutral or
spread lips

[ Tense ]

involve muscular
constriction (longer
sounds)
[i] [u] [] [e]

no constriction
(shorter
sounds)

The root of the tongue

pushed forward

Tongue root is
not pushed
forward

[ Advanced Tongue
Root ]
For describing West
African & other
languages vowels
(vowel harmony)

Consonantal Features
[+]
[ Voice ]
Consonants with
vibrating vocal
chords

[-]

With airflow
With vocal cords at
through the
rest
glottis; vocal cords
( ex: [s] )
close to vibrate
( ex: [l] )

[ Syllabic ]

Major
class
features

Anterior

Place
Features
[ Continuant ]

CLASSES AND
F E AT U R E S O F
PHONETICS

[ Sonorant ]

[ Consonantal
]

[ Strident ]

[ Delayed
Release ]

Consonant
al Features
[ Voice ]

[ Front ]

[ Nasal ]

Manner
Features

Vocalic
Features

Coronal

[ Lateral ]

[ High ]
[ Low ]
[ Round ]

[ ATR ]

[ Back ]
[ Tense ]

THE END
Daghang salamat!