Speech Work: Consonant Sound – JSS2 English Lesson Note (First Term)

A consonant is a speech sound made by blocking the airstream from the lungs, either partly or totally.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define a consonant and state how many vowels and consonants English has;
2. name the three factors used to classify consonants;
3. give example words for the consonant sounds of English;
4. identify consonant clusters in words;
5. distinguish transitive verbs from intransitive verbs;
6. write a descriptive essay about a local festival.

What is a consonant?

A consonant is a speech sound produced when the airstream from the lungs is obstructed in the mouth or throat.

• Total number of sounds: English has forty-four speech sounds.
• Vowels: twenty of the forty-four sounds are vowels.
• Consonants: the remaining twenty-four sounds are consonants.
• Obstruction: the block may be partial or total, but there is always some obstruction.
• Vowels compared: vowels are made with no obstruction of the airstream.

How are consonants classified?

Consonants are classified by three factors: place of articulation, manner of articulation and state of the glottis.

• Place of articulation: where in the mouth or throat the airstream is obstructed.
• Manner of articulation: how the airstream is obstructed, including the degree of obstruction.
• State of the glottis: whether the vocal cords vibrate (voiced) or do not vibrate (voiceless).

What are the places of articulation?

• Bilabial: both lips come together, as in /p/, /b/, /m/, /w/.
• Labiodental: the lower lip touches the upper teeth, as in /f/, /v/.
• Dental: the tongue tip touches the upper teeth, as in /θ/, /ð/.
• Alveolar: the tongue touches the ridge behind the upper teeth, as in /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /n/, /l/, /r/.
• Palato-alveolar: the tongue blade is raised towards the area just behind the alveolar ridge, as in /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/.
• Palatal: the front of the tongue rises towards the hard palate, as in /j/.
• Velar: the back of the tongue touches the soft palate, as in /k/, /g/, /ŋ/.
• Glottal: the air is made to rub in the glottis (the space between the vocal cords), as in /h/.

What are the manners of articulation?

• Stop (plosive): the airstream is completely blocked, then released suddenly, as in /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/.
• Fricative: the air escapes through a narrow gap with friction, as in /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/, /h/.
• Affricate: a stop is released slowly into a fricative, as in /tʃ/ (teach) and /dʒ/ (joy).
• Nasal: the mouth is blocked and the air passes through the nose, as in /m/, /n/, /ŋ/.
• Lateral: the air escapes along the sides of the tongue, as in /l/.
• Liquid: the air passes the tongue with little or no friction, as in /r/.
• Semi-vowel: a gliding sound that behaves like a consonant but is vowel-like, as in /w/ and /j/.

What is the state of the glottis?

The state of the glottis tells whether a consonant is voiced or voiceless.

• Voiced: the vocal cords vibrate, as in /b/, /d/, /g/, /v/, /z/.
• Voiceless: the vocal cords do not vibrate, as in /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /s/.
• Simple test: touch your throat and say /s/ then /z/. You feel vibration only with /z/.

What are the consonant sounds of English?

English has twenty-four consonant sounds, shown below with example words.

Most consonants occur at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of a word, but a few are restricted.

• /ŋ/: does not begin an English word, as in singer and bang.
• /h/: begins a syllable, as in hat and behave, and does not end a word.
• /w/ and /j/: are heard before a vowel, as in win and yes, and not at the end of a word.

How are the consonants grouped by features?

The table groups each consonant by manner of articulation, place of articulation and voicing.

• Example: /p/ is a voiceless bilabial stop.
• Example: /b/ is a voiced bilabial stop.
• Example: /s/ is a voiceless alveolar fricative.
• Example: /m/ is a voiced bilabial nasal.

What is a consonant cluster?

A consonant cluster is a group of two or more consonant sounds placed side by side in a word.

• Nigerian languages: many have no consonant clusters, so learners need practice with English clusters.
• Initial clusters: English words may begin with two or three consonants.
• Final clusters: English words may end with up to four consonants.
• Sounds, not letters: a cluster is counted by sounds. The double letters in coffee and buffer give one sound, so they are not clusters.
• Examples: garden, friend, peddle, little, cotton, settles.

What are clusters at the beginning of a word?

Initial clusters have two or three consonants before the vowel.

• Three consonants: street, spring, splash, screen.

What are consonants at the end of a word?

An English word may end in one consonant or in a cluster of up to four consonants.

• One consonant: lion (ends in /n/), seed (ends in /d/).
• Three consonants: prompt.
• Four consonants: tempts, exempts, sixths.

What is a transitive verb?

A transitive verb is a verb that has an object, so its action passes from the subject to the object.

• Test: ask “what?” or “whom?” after the verb. If there is an answer, the verb is transitive.

1. Ayo called his wife (object: his wife).
2. Olu wrote a letter (object: a letter).
3. Mr Ojo killed a goat (object: a goat).

What is an intransitive verb?

An intransitive verb is a verb that does not need an object to complete its meaning.

• The baby cries: no object follows the verb.
• Samuel laughs: the action stays with the subject.
• The pig grunts: no answer to “what?” or “whom?”.
• The lion roars: the sentence is complete without an object.
• The sun shines: the action does not pass to anything.

• Same verb, both uses: “Ade ate” is intransitive. “Ade ate rice” is transitive.

What is comprehension?

Comprehension is the process of reading, understanding and explaining what is written in a passage.

• Passage: every comprehension exercise must have a passage to be read.
• Purpose: it tests the student’s understanding of the writer’s thoughts.
• Instruction: read the passage carefully and answer the questions.
• Passage for this lesson: Unit 1, “How we spent the holiday”.
• Reference: New Oxford English Course for Junior Secondary School (Upper Basic Education) 2, pages 8 and 9.
• Homework: answer questions 6 to 10 on the passage at home.

How do you answer comprehension questions?

1. Read the passage carefully at least twice.
2. Read each question and find the part of the passage that answers it.
3. Answer in a full sentence, using your own words where possible.
4. Check your spelling and grammar.

What is a descriptive essay?

A descriptive essay is writing that gives an accurate picture of how a person, animal, place or thing appears.

• Focus: it concentrates mainly on things rather than on the actions in which they take part.
• Describing words: it uses words that give qualities, such as friendly, good, bad, dull and nice.
• Details: specific details make the description strong and vivid.
• Figurative language: similes and metaphors give colour to a description.
• Simile: compares using “like” or “as”, for example “The drum was loud like thunder”.
• Metaphor: says one thing is another, for example “The drum was thunder”.

How do you write a descriptive essay?

1. Choose the subject, for example a local festival.
2. List what you saw, heard, smelt, tasted and felt.
3. Write an introduction that names the subject and says when and where it happens.
4. Write body paragraphs, one for each group of details.
5. Write a short conclusion.

Sample essay: A local festival

Introduction (the new yam festival)

The new yam festival is otherwise called the “Ogun festival” in Abule Oja. It comes up once a year. It is the greatest and most celebrated traditional festival in Abule Oja. It is celebrated in honour of Ogun, the Yoruba “god of iron and war”.

It is the only festival that brings together all the people of the village, both those at home and those abroad, whatever their religion. Christians, Muslims and traditional worshippers all unite as one during the Ogun festival at Abule Oja. The last one was celebrated from 15th to 18th August 2013. It was the most celebrated in recent years because the new age grade, of which I was an active member, performed well during the festival.

Conclusion

Finally, the media men who covered the festival recommended that such festivals should be integrated into national journalism.

Sample essay: A place of interest once visited (oral discussion)

It was in August 2014, during the summer coaching, that we were taken on an excursion to Ibadan Zoo. This was my first time visiting the place. I was happy to see many attractive and interesting things there. At the same time, some wild animals frightened me, and I almost decided not to visit the zoo again.

The first place we were taken to was the cage of the chimpanzee. It was big and had a horrible look. It was given a bunch of bananas and finished them within a few minutes. I also saw a very wild lion in its cave, and it roared to frighten people. I saw a python (snake), and I learned that it can swallow big animals, even human beings. In addition, I saw other animals such as the giraffe, fox, horse and elephant.

At exactly two o’clock, we were asked to get back into the school bus, and we began our trip back to Lagos. On the way back, we talked about nothing but what we had seen at the zoo. We got to Lagos at exactly 5:15 p.m. When I got home, I narrated my beautiful experience to my parents and my sibling, who wished they had been there too.

Evaluation

1. How many speech sounds are there in English? How many are vowels and how many are consonants?
2. Name the three factors used in classifying consonants.
3. What is a consonant cluster? Give two examples from the note.
4. Describe /p/ and /b/ by their state of the glottis, place of articulation and manner of articulation.
5. Explain the difference between a transitive verb and an intransitive verb. Give one example of each.

Assignment

State whether the verb in each sentence is transitive or intransitive.

1. The water is boiling.
2. Justine slept.
3. Mr Olayemi punished the latecomers.
4. The boy ate the rice.
5. The door opened halfway.