English Phonetics and Phonology - Week 2: Consonant Theory

Introduction: Hello everyone and welcome to the Week 1 of the course English Phonetics and Pholology for the Bachelor's in English Teaching at ULACIT term IIIC 2023. This week we begin our study of the English consonant system. We will learn what consonants are, how they can be classified, and also learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symobls that are used to represent them. 

Today's Goals: 

• Review key concepts of phonetics including the phoneme, transcription, and IPA.
• Explore the parts of the vocal tract involved in the articulation of English sounds.
• Isolate individual phonemes and classify them according to three dimensions (place, manner, and voicing).

Guiding Questions: 

• What are consonants and how can they be classified?
• In what places and manners can consonants be articulated?
• What is consonant voicing and how can I detect it?

Task 1: Reading Reaction

Discuss the following questions regarding the homework assignments from last week.

• Think about the diagnostic test that you completed, how many of the questions were you able to answer? 
• What did you think about the textbook pages that you read?
• What was difficult about reading? 
• Were you able to complete the study guide? 
• Read the following keywords and phrases from the reading. What can you say about them?
• Phoneme
• Minimal Pair
• Orthography vs Transcription
• Syllable
• Consonant
• Parts of the Vocal Tract
• Articulators
• Manners of Articulation

Task 2: Interactive Review

Now you will participate in an interactive presentation from your teacher to review some key concepts from last week's reading.

Task 3: Classifying Consonants

Click on your group worksheet below and follow the instructions in the shared document.

• Group Link: CLICK HERE