Nasal Plosion.
When the plosives [p, t, k, b, d, g] are followed by the nasal sonants [n, m] (either within a word or at a word junction) the articulation of the sonant starts when the articulation of the plosive consonant is not yet finished. The soft palate is lowered and instead of removing the obstruction in the mouth cavity the air stream passes through the nasal cavity producing the effect of a nasal plosion (partial regressive assimilation).*
e.g. | madness; | chutney; | topmost; |
| not now; | take mine; | let me see. |
! 1) To produce the nasal character of plosion correctly keep the tongue-tip pressed against the teethridge till the release of the sonant.
2) In the clusters ‘a plosive + a nasal sonant + a plosive’ (didn’t, wouldn’t) keep the tongue-tip against the teethridge till the release of the final plosive.
- Aspiration. Degrees of Aspiration.
- Sound Drills.
- 1. Practise different degrees of aspiration in the following words:
- In a department store
- Leisure
- Loss of Plosion.
- Sound Drills.
- 3. Practise the following fragments of connected speech focusing on loss of plosion.
- Nasal Plosion.
- Sound Drills.
- Duty of the student
- Lateral Plosion
- Sound Drills
- 1. Pronounce the following words and phrases observing lateral plosion.
- 2. Practise lateral plosion in connected speech.
- Fricative Plosion.
- 1. Pronounce the following words and phrases observing close coarticulation of plosive and fricative consonants.
- 2. Practise fricative plosion in connected speech.
- To a False Friend
- Making a Cake
- Alveolar consonants before [0, 8].
- Sound Drills
- 1. Practice the following words and phrases. Be sure to make the sounds [t, d, n, l, s, z] dental before [0] and [8]
- 2. Practise the clusters of alveolar consonants preceding [0, 8] in connected speech.
- Boiled Eggs
- Sonants
- General Remarks
- 1. Modifications of the length of English sonants.
- 2. The syllabic function of the sonants in English
- 3. Devoicing of the sonants.
- Consonant sounds that link words.
- Linking [r]
- Consonantal glides [w] and [j]
- Sound Drills.
- 1. Practise the linking [r], [w] and [j] at the junction of words. Be sure to make the glides [w] and [j] sound very short.
- 2. Practise linking at word-boundaries in connected speech.
- Rain dying out
- Combinations of consonants with [w]
- Sound Drills.
- 1. Practice the following words and phrases observing assimilation in the consonant clusters with [w]
- 2. Practise consonant clusters with [w] in connected speech.
- Consonant clusters with [r]
- Sound Drills.
- 1. Practice the following words and phrases observing assimilation in the consonant clusters with [r]
- 1) Complete devoicing of [r]
- 2) Partial devoicing of [r]
- 3) Double assimilation
- 2. Practise consonant clusters with [r] in connected speech.
- Airport announcements.
- Travelling by train.
- Absence of assimilation in some consonant clusters.
- No assimilation according to the place or manner of articulation of English consonants
- No assimilation according to the work of the vocal cords
- Sound Drills.
- 2. Practise the difficult consonant clusters in the following contexts. Observe absence of assimilation.
- Monday’s child
- The House That Jack Built
- A vacant seat