Consonants Quiz: Test Your Skills

Fricatives are a class of consonant sounds that are produced by forcing air through a narrow opening in the vocal tract, creating a turbulent airflow. This turbulent airflow results in a hissing or buzzing sound, which is characteristic of fricatives. Therefore, the statement that fricatives are characterized by a hissing sound is true.

A fricative is a type of consonant sound that is produced by forcing air through a narrow channel in the vocal tract, causing friction. In the given options, "should," "flower," and "teeth" all have fricative sounds. "Map" does not have a fricative sound, as it is pronounced with a stop consonant sound.

In English, aspirated consonants are pronounced with a strong burst of air. The initial consonant in 'cook' is /k/, which is aspirated. When saying the word 'cook', a puff of air is released along with the /k/ sound. Therefore, the statement is true.

The difference between /p/ and /t/ is the place of articulation. This means that the sounds are produced in different parts of the vocal tract. /p/ is a bilabial sound, meaning it is produced by bringing both lips together, while /t/ is an alveolar sound, produced by touching the tip of the tongue to the alveolar ridge behind the upper teeth. Voicing refers to whether the vocal cords vibrate or not, and is not the distinguishing factor between /p/ and /t/. The position of the soft palate and the manner of articulation are also not relevant in differentiating between /p/ and /t/.

The statement is false because sounds in which the tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge are actually called alveolar consonants, not palatal consonants. Palatal consonants are produced when the middle of the tongue touches the hard palate.

The word "yellow" contains a palatal sound /j/ in the beginning.

Affricates are a type of consonant sound that begins with an obstruction of the airflow, similar to fricatives, and then releases with a sudden burst, similar to plosives. Therefore, the statement "Affricates begin as fricatives and end as plosives" is accurate.

Plosives are not continuants. Plosives, also known as stops, are a type of consonant sound where the airflow is completely blocked and then released abruptly. They include sounds like /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, and /g/. Continuants, on the other hand, are consonant sounds where the airflow is not completely blocked and can be prolonged. Examples of continuants include fricatives (/f/, /v/, /s/, /z/), affricates (/ʧ/, /ʤ/), and approximants (/r/, /l/, /j/). Therefore, the statement that plosives are continuants is false.

The word "job" contains an affricate. An affricate is a consonant sound that begins as a stop consonant and then transitions into a fricative. In the word "job," the "j" sound represents an affricate because it starts as a stop sound (similar to the "d" sound) and then transitions into a fricative sound (similar to the "zh" sound).

A labiodental consonant is a sound produced by using the lower lip and the upper teeth. In English, the labiodental consonants are /f/ and /v/. The word "cough" contains the /f/ sound, which is a labiodental consonant. The other words do not contain labiodental consonants. "Though" contains a voiced dental fricative (/ð/), "smile" contains alveolar and bilabial sounds, and "high" contains a glottal sound.

The word "who" contains an approximant. The sound represented by "w" in "who" is a voiced labio-velar approximant /w/. Approximants are sounds where there is a slight constriction of the airflow but not enough to cause turbulence or friction. In this case, the tongue approximates the back of the mouth, and the lips are rounded.

The soft palate (velum) is raised for all oral consonants and lowered for nasal consonants. Nasal consonants are produced with the soft palate lowered, allowing air to pass through the nasal cavity. In contrast, oral consonants involve the raising of the soft palate to block the nasal passage, directing airflow through the oral cavity. 

The word "measure" has a post-alveolar sound. Post-alveolar sounds are produced by placing the tongue just behind the alveolar ridge, which is the ridge behind the upper front teeth. In the word "measure," the "sh" sound is a post-alveolar fricative, produced by forcing air through a narrow gap between the tongue and the alveolar ridge. The other options, "book" and "listen," do not have post-alveolar sounds. Therefore, "measure" is the correct answer.

The given statement is false. Lenis fricatives produce less friction noise compared to fortis fricatives. Lenis fricatives are produced with less force and have a weaker airflow, resulting in a softer and less noisy sound. Fortis fricatives, on the other hand, are produced with more force and have a stronger airflow, leading to a louder and more intense friction noise. Therefore, the correct answer is false.

Post-alveolar consonants do not involve the tip of the tongue and the hard palate. Instead, they involve the blade of the tongue and the hard palate. The blade of the tongue is the part just behind the tip. Examples of post-alveolar consonants include sounds like /ʃ/ as in "ship" or /ʒ/ as in "measure". Therefore, the statement that post-alveolar consonants involve the tip of the tongue and the hard palate is false.

Fortis consonants do not lengthen preceding vowels. In phonetics, fortis consonants are characterized by their increased muscular tension and forceful articulation. They are typically shorter in duration and do not have an effect on the length of preceding vowels. Therefore, the statement "Fortis consonants lengthen preceding vowels" is false.

A fortis consonant is a consonant sound that is produced with a greater amount of force or tension. In the given options, the only underlined sound is "t" in the word "nature." The "t" sound is a fortis consonant because it is produced with more force by pressing the tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge and releasing it quickly.