Which of these is a voiceless consonant?
A/b/
B/p/
C/m/
D/z/
Answer:
B. /p/
Read Explanation:
Understanding Voiceless Consonants
- In Phonetics, consonants are categorized based on three main features:
- Place of Articulation: Where in the vocal tract the obstruction occurs.
- Manner of Articulation: How the air is obstructed.
- Voicing: Whether the vocal cords vibrate during the production of the sound.
- A voiceless consonant is a sound produced without the vibration of the vocal cords. To identify if a sound is voiceless, place your hand on your throat while producing the sound; if you don't feel a vibration, it's voiceless.
- The consonant /p/ (as in 'pen', 'apple') is a voiceless bilabial plosive.
- 'Voiceless' because the vocal cords do not vibrate.
- 'Bilabial' because both lips are used to form the obstruction.
- 'Plosive' (or stop) because the airflow is completely blocked and then released suddenly.
- Other common voiceless consonants in English include:
- /t/ (as in 'tea', 'top') - voiceless alveolar plosive
- /k/ (as in 'cat', 'king') - voiceless velar plosive
- /f/ (as in 'fan', 'fish') - voiceless labiodental fricative
- /s/ (as in 'sun', 'sit') - voiceless alveolar fricative
- /ʃ/ (sh, as in 'she', 'shoe') - voiceless postalveolar fricative
- /θ/ (th, as in 'thin', 'bath') - voiceless dental fricative
- /h/ (as in 'hat', 'home') - voiceless glottal fricative
- /tʃ/ (ch, as in 'chair', 'church') - voiceless postalveolar affricate
- In contrast, voiced consonants involve the vibration of the vocal cords. Examples include /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /z/, /m/, /n/, /l/, /r/.
- The distinction between voiced and voiceless sounds is crucial in English phonology, as it can differentiate words (e.g., 'pat' vs. 'bat' - a minimal pair where only one sound differs, in this case, voicing).
- Understanding these phonetic classifications is fundamental for competitive exams, particularly in sections related to English language, grammar, and phonetics/phonology.