1.6: Consonants

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Objective

The purpose of this lesson is to help students become aware of the consonant sounds that exist in American English. (Students will work more with consonant sounds in other units and sections.)

Introduction to Consonants

There are 21 consonants in the English alphabet. Consonants include all letters that are not vowels (A,E,I,O and U).

The Phonemic Chart

Look at the American English Phonemic Chart. The consonant sounds are found in the bottom three rows of the chart. downloadac13639

Notice

Sounds Move from Front to Back

Start with /p/ sound on row 4 of the phonemic chart. Make each sound on that line. Notice how the sound starts at the front of your mouth and moves backwards.

Voiced and Unvoiced Consonants

Notice that voiced and unvoiced sounds are paired. For example: /p/ is unvoiced, /b/ is voiced. You will learn more about Voiced and Unvoiced consonants in Unit 2.

Activity

Work with your teacher. Write a word that has the sound in each box. For example: words with a /p/ sound = people, place, pick, words with a /b/ sound = ball, bike, birthday.

Other Resources

American English Consonants
Access an Interactive American English Phonemic Chart with sounds and examples.
For Teachers: Watch the video Introduction to Teaching Pronunciation Workshop - Adrian Underhill to learn the sounds in the phonemic chart.