Manner of articulation

Human vocal tract

In articulatory phonetics, the manner of articulation is the configuration and interaction of the articulators (speech organs such as the tongue, lips, and palate) when making a speech sound. The primary parameters of manner are stricture (degree of constriction) – that is, how closely the speech organs approach one another – and the resulting airflow. Manner is paired with place of articulation and phonation in defining consonants.

The concept of manner is mainly used in the discussion of consonants, although the movement of the articulators will also greatly alter the resonant properties of the vocal tract, thereby changing the formant structure of speech sounds that is crucial for the identification of vowel of articulation. Often nasality and laterality are included in manner, but some phoneticians, such as Peter Ladefoged, consider them to be independent.

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