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Have you ever wondered how we turn thoughts into sounds? This can be explained with articulatory phonetics, the study of sound production using the movement and coordination of the lungs, vocal cords, tongue, lips, and other parts of the vocal tract.
In this blog post, we lay out the main things you need to know about the topic:
- What is articulatory phonetics
- Where are speech sounds formed
- How are speech sounds shaped
- What powers the air for speech
Plus practical applications, fun facts, and an interactive exercise. Let's jump in!
What is Articulatory Phonetics?
Articulatory phonetics is a subfield of phonetics that studies the physiological mechanisms behind how we produce speech sounds. It focuses on the movements and positions of the vocal organs, such as the tongue, lips, and vocal cords, as they shape the airflow to create the sounds of language.
In contrast to acoustic phonetics, which studies the sound waves carrying speech, or auditory phonetics, which analyses how we hear and process sounds, articulatory phonetics focuses on the physical movements of our vocal organs that make speech possible.
Why is it important? This area of phonetics reveals how we transform air into words, laying the foundations for linguistics, speech therapy, and language learning.
Where are Speech Sounds Formed?
The vocal tract is where speech sounds come to life, with various parts of the mouth and throat shaping airflow to create the foundation of language.
In articulatory phonetics, places of articulation pinpoint specific areas—like the lips, teeth, or back of the throat—where these sounds are created.
Each location produces unique sounds, some voiced (with vocal cord vibration, like /b/ or /z/) and others voiceless (without vibration, like /p/ or /s/).
Here are all the different types of articulated sounds:
Labial
One or both lips work together to shape certain sounds. For example, /p/ (as in 'pat') and /b/ (as in 'bat') are created by briefly blocking and releasing airflow. The distinction lies in voicing: /b/ involves vocal cord vibration, while /p/ does not. Other examples include /m/ (nasal, as in 'mat') and /w/ (approximant, as in 'wet').
Dental
The tongue interacts with the teeth to produce specific sounds. Consider /θ/ (voiceless, as in 'think') and /ð/ (voiced, as in 'this'), both fricatives that generate a hissing effect as air flows through a narrow gap.
Alveolar
The tongue contacts the alveolar ridge, the bony ridge behind the upper front teeth, to form a variety of sounds. Examples include /t/ (voiceless plosive, as in 'top'), /d/ (voiced plosive, as in 'dog'), /s/ (voiceless fricative, as in 'sun'), and /z/ (voiced fricative, as in 'zoo'). Sounds like /n/ (nasal, as in 'nose') and /l/ (lateral, as in 'love') also rely on this area.
Postalveolar
Just behind the alveolar ridge, the tongue shapes sounds in the postalveolar region. Examples include /ʃ/ (voiceless fricative, as in 'ship') and /ʒ/ (voiced fricative, as in 'vision'), as well as affricates like /tʃ/ (voiceless, as in 'church') and /dʒ/ (voiced, as in 'judge').
Palatal
The tongue presses against the hard palate, the bony roof of the mouth, to create certain sounds. A common example is /j/ (voiced approximant, as in 'yes'). While less frequent in English, these sounds are prominent in languages like French or German (e.g., the 'ch' in German 'ich').
Velar
The soft palate, the fleshy area at the back of the mouth's roof, is used to produce sounds like /k/ (voiceless plosive, as in 'cat'), /g/ (voiced plosive, as in 'go'), and /ŋ/ (nasal, as in 'sing').
Uvular
The uvula, the small flap at the back of the throat, generates sounds such as /ʁ/ (voiced fricative, as in the French 'r' in 'rouge'). These sounds are rare in English but common in languages like Arabic or German.
Laryngeal
The larynx, where the vocal cords reside, produces sounds like /h/ (voiceless fricative, as in 'hat') and /ʔ/ (glottal stop, as in the pause in 'uh-oh'). It also controls voicing for all voiced sounds across other places of articulation.
How Are Speech Sounds Shaped?
Once airflow moves through the vocal tract, it's transformed into speech sounds by the way our vocal organs mold it.
In articulatory phonetics, manners of articulation describe the different techniques used to shape these sounds. These methods determine whether a sound is a sharp consonant or a flowing vowel, and whether it's voiced (with vocal cord vibration, like /b/ or /z/) or voiceless (without vibration, like /p/ or /s/).
Voiced vs. Voiceless Sounds
Vocal cord vibration defines whether a sound is voiced or voiceless. Voiced sounds, like /b/, /z/, or vowels such as /a/, involve vibrating vocal cords, giving them a resonant quality. Voiceless sounds, like /p/, /t/, or /s/, rely on airflow without vibration, creating sharper or hissing effects.
Consonant
The vocal tract creates sounds by restricting airflow in various ways. These restricted sounds, unlike open vowels, include everything from plosives (/p/, /b/) to fricatives (/s/, /z/). Most consonants come in voiced and voiceless pairs, such as /d/ (voiced, as in 'dog') versus /t/ (voiceless, as in 'top').
Plosive
Airflow is completely blocked and then released to produce sharp, explosive sounds. Examples include /p/ (voiceless, as in 'pat') and /b/ (voiced, as in 'bat'), where the lips close, or /t/ (voiceless, as in 'top') and /d/ (voiced, as in 'dog'), where the tongue hits the alveolar ridge.
Affricate
A blend of a stop and a fricative creates a two-part sound. For instance, /tʃ/ (voiceless, as in 'church') starts with a stop at the postalveolar region and releases into a fricative, while /dʒ/ (voiced, as in 'judge') does the same with vocal cord vibration.
Fricative
Air is forced through a narrow gap, creating a hissing or buzzing effect. Examples include /s/ (voiceless, as in 'sun') and /z/ (voiced, as in 'zoo') at the alveolar ridge, or /f/ (voiceless, as in 'fan') and /v/ (voiced, as in 'van') at the lips.
Nasal
Air flows through the nose while the mouth is blocked, producing resonant sounds. Common examples are /m/ (as in 'mat'), /n/ (as in 'nose'), and /ŋ/ (as in 'sing'), all typically voiced.
Approximant
The vocal tract narrows slightly, allowing air to glide through with minimal obstruction. Sounds like /w/ (as in 'wet') and /j/ (as in 'yes') are usually voiced, creating smooth transitions in speech.
Liquid
The tongue shapes airflow to create smooth, flowing consonants. Examples include /r/ (as in 'red') and /l/ (as in 'love'), both typically voiced.
Lateral
Air escapes around the sides of the tongue, producing sounds like /l/ (as in 'love'), which is usually voiced. In rare cases, voiceless laterals like /ɬ/ (found in Welsh) exist.
Vowel
Air flows freely through the vocal tract, creating open, resonant sounds. Vowels like /a/ (as in 'father') or /i/ (as in 'see') are almost always voiced, relying on vocal cord vibration for their melody. In rare cases, like whispered speech, vowels can be voiceless.
What Powers the Air for Speech?
The production of speech sounds starts with the flow of air. Airstream mechanisms refer to the varied methods by which air is mobilised to create sounds, from the lungs to the throat and other areas.
See below the four key airstream mechanisms that make speech possible:
Pulmonic Sounds
Air pushed from the lungs drives the majority of speech sounds across languages. This airflow creates both voiced sounds (like /b/ in 'bat' or /z/ in 'zoo') and voiceless sounds (like /p/ in 'pat' or /s/ in 'sun') by passing through the vocal tract.
Glottalic Sounds
The glottis, located in the larynx, generates airflow without relying on the lungs. This produces two distinct types of sounds: ejectives (voiceless, like /kʼ/ in some Native American languages, created by raising the glottis to push air out) and implosives (often voiced, like /ɓ/ in languages like Swahili, made by lowering the glottis to draw air in).
Lingual Sounds
The tongue initiates airflow to create distinctive click sounds, common in languages like Zulu and Xhosa. For example, a 'tsk' sound or the /ǃ/ click (like a cork popping) is made by trapping and releasing air with the tongue against the teeth or palate. These sounds can be voiced or voiceless, depending on vocal cord vibration.
Percussive Sounds
Physical impact, rather than airflow, produces rare sounds in some languages. For example, a dental click (akin to the sound made when sucking air between the teeth and tongue) or a sharp tap of the tongue against the alveolar ridge produces fleeting, percussive effects.
Practical Applications of Articulatory Phonetics
Articulatory phonetics has powerful real-world applications, as understanding how speech sounds are physically produced can help improve communication in various ways.
Hover over the cards below to find out more:
Language Learning
Articulatory phonetics helps Arabic speakers master the /p/ sound in "pin" (/pɪn/), often mispronounced as "bin" (/bɪn/), by guiding accurate lip closure, improving English pronunciation.
Speech Therapy
Therapists use articulatory phonetics to correct misarticulations, like substituting /w/ for /r/ (e.g., "wabbit" for "rabbit").
Dialect Coaching
Actors learn to shift articulatory patterns to mimic accents (e.g., a British /r/ is less rhotic than an American /r/).
Speech Technology Development
By modeling vocal tract movements—such as bilabial stops for /p/ in "pin"—this field supports speech recognition and synthesis (e.g., Alexa), helping AI understand accents and generate more natural speech.
Forensic Linguistics
Articulatory phonetics helps forensic linguists analyse voice recordings by studying articulation patterns (e.g., /s/ vs. /ʃ/) to identify speakers or detect audio tampering, providing evidence in legal cases.
Voice Training for Public Speaking
Mastering articulatory phonetics sharpens speech clarity for public speaking and broadcasting. For instance, speakers learn to articulate fricatives like /s/ or stops like /t/ distinctly to avoid mumbling.
Fun Facts about Articulatory Phonetics
Here are some fun facts about articulatory phonetics that highlight the incredible versatility of the human vocal tract in shaping the sounds of language:
The Sound Palette of Languages
The human vocal tract can produce hundreds of speech sounds, but each language uses only a small subset. English employs about 40 sounds, while some African languages, like !Xóõ, use over 100, including unique click sounds made with the tongue.
Babies are Speech Sound Superstars
Before they can form their first words, babies experiment with their vocal tract, babbling sounds like /ba/ or /da/. By around six months, they can produce a wide range of voiced and voiceless sounds, even ones not used in their native language.
Click Sounds in Language
Some languages, like Zulu and Xhosa, use click sounds as consonants, created by sucking air with the tongue against the teeth or palate. These lingual airstream sounds are rare and require precise articulatory control.
A Voiceless Sound isn't the Same as Silence
Voiceless sounds, like /p/, /t/, or /s/, don't use vocal cord vibration, but they're far from quiet. They rely on airflow and precise articulatory movements, such as the lips closing for /p/ or the tongue narrowing for /s/.
Whistling is Articulatory Too
Whistled languages, like Silbo Gomero in the Canary Islands, use the vocal tract to mimic speech through whistles. By adjusting the tongue and lips, speakers create pitched sounds that carry words over long distances.
Vowels are Always Voiced (Almost)
Vowels like /a/ or /i/ are nearly always voiced, relying on vocal cord vibration for their rich, open sound. However, in rare cases, like whispered speech or certain languages like Japanese, vowels can be voiceless.
Give this Practice a Try!
Ready to test your skills in IPA transcription? Try this exercise where the challenge is to type the English word that matches each IPA transcription listed below.
Conclusion
The process of turning air into speech is truly remarkable. With every word we utter, the vocal tract—comprising the lungs, vocal cords, tongue, lips, and more—performs a precise coordination of movements that transforms simple airflow into the rich sounds of language.
Such an intricate system, studied through articulatory phonetics, crafts everything from the rhythmic clicks of languages like Zulu to the flowing vowels of English.
Hopefully this blog post has successfully showcased how amazing articulatory phonetics is, revealing the magic behind the words we speak every day. Next time you talk, think about the impressive teamwork that’s happening in your vocal tract in real time!