What are Voiced and Voiceless Consonants
All sounds in the English language have a sound associated with it. The voiced “noise” that you hear if you say sounds individually, originates from the vibration of the vocal cords and the way in which you shape your tongue and lips and palate to create the consonant. When you use your vocal cords to make a consonant, you are producing a voiced consonant or vowel.
But there are a handful of voiceless consonants that are produced without vibrating the vocal cords at all. The “noise” that you hear, originates somewhere in the mouth or at the lips. It is easier to memorize which consonants are voiceless since there are fewer of them—only nine:
/p, t, k, s, sh, ch, h, f, th/
Let me say them for you. Try to make each of these sounds individually. You should not be voicing at all. The /p/ sound will have its noise made at the lips. The /t/ is made by placing the tongue behind the upper teeth and pushing/stopping air rapidly. The /k/ is made in the back of the throat with the tongue pushing against the palate.
Of these sounds (except for /h/) there are partner sounds or minimal pairs that are made exactly the same except voicing is added. Compare the following pairs of sounds:
/p/ vs. /b/
/t/ vs. /d/
/k/ vs. /g/
To feel vibration, place your fingers on your larynx, the bony structure of the front part of your neck, and say, “ah.” Do you feel some vibration? Now make the first sound in each of the above pairs. Again, place your fingers on your larynx. You should not feel vibration. If you feel vibration you are not pronouncing the sound correctly. Only the second sound in each pair should have a vocal cord vibration.
When sounds that are voiced are produced without voice, word meaning changes drastically. For example, "pill" sounds like "bill," "tan" sounds like "Dan," "Kate" sounds like "gate." Miscommunications are inevitable! Why is this important? You will need to understand the voicing aspect of final consonants on words to help you understand past tense endings and plurals endings. We will cover these areas of speech in the next two weeks’ tips.
