Question

Which of these is a voiced dental fricative?

• A. /θ/
• B. /ð/
• C. /s/
• D. /z/

Answer 1

Answer:

B. /ð/

Understanding Voiced Dental Fricatives

• A fricative consonant is produced when air is forced through a narrow channel in the vocal tract, creating a turbulent, hissing sound.
• A dental consonant involves the tongue making contact with or approaching the back of the upper front teeth (incisors).
• A voiced sound means that the vocal cords vibrate during its production. You can feel this vibration by placing your fingers on your throat while making the sound.

The Sound /ð/ (Voiced Dental Fricative)

• The phoneme /ð/, represented by the lowercase Greek letter 'eth', is the voiced dental fricative in English.
• It is produced by placing the tip or blade of the tongue against or very close to the back of the upper front teeth, and then pushing air through the narrow gap, while simultaneously vibrating the vocal cords.
• Examples of words containing /ð/:
  • "that" /ðæt/
  • "this" /ðɪs/
  • "those" /ðoʊz/
  • "there" /ðɛər/
  • "with" /wɪð/ (often)
  • "breathe" /briːð/

Contrast with /θ/ (Voiceless Dental Fricative)

• The phoneme /θ/ (theta) is the voiceless dental fricative, which is the unvoiced counterpart of /ð/.
• The articulation (place and manner) for /θ/ is identical to /ð/, but the vocal cords do not vibrate for /θ/.
• Examples of words containing /θ/:
  • "thin" /θɪn/
  • "thick" /θɪk/
  • "thanks" /θæŋks/
  • "math" /mæθ/
  • "birth" /bɜːrθ/

Key Facts for Competitive Exams

• The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is crucial for understanding and transcribing sounds accurately. Familiarity with the IPA chart is highly recommended for competitive exams.
• English has nine fricative sounds in total: /f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/.
  • Labiodental Fricatives: /f/ (voiceless), /v/ (voiced) - e.g., 'fan', 'van'
  • Dental Fricatives: /θ/ (voiceless), /ð/ (voiced) - e.g., 'thin', 'this'
  • Alveolar Fricatives: /s/ (voiceless), /z/ (voiced) - e.g., 'sip', 'zip'
  • Palato-alveolar (Post-alveolar) Fricatives: /ʃ/ (voiceless), /ʒ/ (voiced) - e.g., 'she', 'measure'
  • Glottal Fricative: /h/ (voiceless) - e.g., 'hat'
• The distinction between voiced and voiceless sounds is a common area for questions in phonetics, especially regarding minimal pairs.
• The 'th' digraph in English is unique as it represents two distinct phonemes: /θ/ and /ð/. This often causes pronunciation difficulties for non-native speakers and is a frequently tested concept.