A. Consonant: STKIP Kusuma Negara Department of English Education

The document discusses consonant sounds and how they can change when spoken in connected speech. It begins by explaining the difference between voiced and voiceless consonants, providing examples using the International Phonetic Alphabet. It then discusses how consonants can change from voiced to voiceless in verb endings like "ed" depending on the preceding sound. Finally, it notes how consonant sounds can change between words in connected speech, such as a voiced consonant becoming voiceless before a following voiced sound.

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A. Consonant: STKIP Kusuma Negara Department of English Education

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Annisa Fitriani

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STKIP Kusuma Negara Department of English Education

A. CONSONANT

There are 2 groups of consonants: Voiced and voiceless. When you

pronounce voiced consonants, your throat should vibrate. Put your fingers around
your throat (Adam’s Apple) and feel your throat vibrate. When you
pronounce voiceless consonants, your throat does not vibrate. Only air comes out
of your mouth. It’s same air that would come out if you blew a birthday candle. The
consonant sounds are represented using the International Phonetic
Alphabet (IPA). Compare between voiced and voiceless consonants as follows.

IPA examples IPA Examples

Voiced consonant Unvoiced consonant

B book p please
(b k) (pliz)

V vanilla f five
(v nIl ) (faIv)

they thirty
( eI) ( ti)

D dish t ten
(dI ) (t n)

Z zero s sir
(z ) (s )

genre she
( nr ) ( i)

jump cheers
( mp) ( s)

G good k king
(g d) (kIŋ)
Many consonant sounds come in pairs. For example, P and B are produced in the
same place in the mouth with the tongue in the same position.

The only difference is that P is an unvoiced sound (no vibration of the vocal cords)
while B is a voiced sound (vocal cords vibrate). Put your hand on your throat as you
say the pairs below to feel the difference.

Note that the first pair of consonants in the table (p, b) is produced at the front of the
mouth. Each pair shifts further back with the last pair (k, g) being produced in the
throat.

B. Changing Voice
When consonants are put in groups, they can change the vocal quality of the
consonant that follows. A great example is the past simple form of regular verbs. You
can recognize these verbs because they end in "ed." However, the consonant sound
of this ending can change from voiced to voiceless, depending on the consonant or
vowel that precedes it. In almost all cases, the E is silent. Here are the rules:

 If the "ed" is preceded by a voiceless consonant such as K, it should be

pronounced as a voiceless T. Examples: parked, barked, marked.

 If the "ed" is preceded by a voiced consonant sound such as B or V, it

should be pronounced as a voiced D. Examples: robbed, thrived, shoved.

 If the "ed" is preceded by a vowel sound, it should be pronounced as a

voiced D because vowels are always voiced. Examples: freed, fried, lied.

 Exception: If the "ed" is preceded by T, it should be pronounced a voiced

"id" sound. In this case, the "e" is pronounced. Examples: dotted, rotted,
plotted.

This pattern can also be found with plural forms. If the consonant preceding the S is
voiced, the S will be pronounced phonetically as a Z. Examples: chairs, machines,
bags

If the consonant preceding the S is voiceless, then the S also will be pronounced as
a voiceless consonant. Examples: bats, parks, pipes.

C. Connected Speech
When speaking in sentences, the ending consonant sounds can change based on
the following words. This is often referred to as connected speech.