Sounds of Consonants

SOUNDS OF CONSONANTS

Medium consonants (இடயினம் idayinam) originates from larynx (குரல்வளை kuralvaLai).

Hard consonants (வல்லினம்  vallinam) comes from chest (மார்பு).

Soft consonants (மெல்லினம்  mellinam) comes from nose (மூக்கு Mūkku).

க(ka) and ங(nga) are born by the joining of the back of the tongue with that of palate.

ச(cha) and ஞ(nya) are born because of the joining of the middle of the tongue with that of the palate.

ட(ta) and ண(ṇa) are produced by the meeting of the tip of the tongue and that of the palate.

த(tha) and ந(ṉa) are easily born when the tip of the tongue widens and touches the junction of the root of the upper teeth and the palate.

ற(Ra) and ன(na) these two ar born when the tip of the toungue touches palate in a raised position.

ர(ra) and ழ(zha) – these two are born when the tip of the tongue touches embraces the roof of the mouth.

When the edge of the tongue having swelled and reaching the trunk of the teeth touches the palate, ல(la) is born, and when it embraces it ள(La) is born.

ப(pa) and ம(ma) are born when the lips meet.

வ(va) is born when the upper teeth and lower lip meet together.

ய(ya) is born when the air from the throat brushes against the palate.

Though the six soft consonants have their birth in the places note above, the air passing through the nose gives them shape.

	Labial	Dental	Alveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar
Plosives	ப	த		ட	ச	க
Nasal	ம	ந	ன	ண	ஞ	ங
Tap		ர
Trill			ற
Central approximants	வ			ழ	ய
Lateral approximants		ல		ள

Labial:	A consonant whose articulation involves movement of the lips
Dental :	A consonant articulated with the tip of the tongue near the gum ridge
Alveolar:	A consonant articulated with the tip of the tongue near the gum ridge.
Retroplex:	Articulate (a consonant) with the tongue curled back against the palate.
Palatal:	A semivowel produced with the tongue near the palate.
Velar:	A consonant produced with the back of the tongue touching or near the soft palate.
Plosives:	A consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it.
Nasal:	A consonant produced through the nose with the mouth closed.
Tap:	It is a type of consonantal sound, which is produced with a single contraction of the muscles so that one articulator (such as the tongue) is thrown against another.
Trill:	The articulation of a consonant (especially the consonant 'r') with a rapid flutter of the tongue against the palate or uvula.
Central Approximants:	Air flows over the center of the tongue.
Lateral Approximants:	with a central obstruction air flows over the sides of the tongue.

---

---

TOP OF PAGE