Place of Articulation

Place of articulation refers to the location in the vocal tract where the airstream is obstructed or constricted to produce a consonant sound. Together with manner of articulation and voicing, place of articulation is one of the three parameters that define every consonant phoneme. The classification system originates from articulatory phonetics and is standard in all major reference works (Roach, 2009; Ladefoged & Johnson, 2015; Kelly, 2000).

Places of Articulation in English

English uses eight major places of articulation:

Bilabial — Both lips come together. /p b m/ — pin, bin, man. The most visible articulation, making it useful for demonstration in class.

Labiodental — Lower lip contacts upper teeth. /f v/ — fan, van. Another visible place, easy to model for learners.

Dental — Tongue tip contacts or approaches the upper teeth. /θ ð/ — think, this. Often called "interdental" because the tongue may protrude between the teeth. These two phonemes are typologically rare — most of the world's languages lack them — which makes them a persistent difficulty for learners from almost every L1 background.

Alveolar — Tongue tip or blade contacts the alveolar ridge (the bony ridge behind the upper teeth). /t d n s z l/ — ten, den, net, sun, zoo, let. The alveolar ridge is the most active place of articulation in English, hosting six phonemes.

Post-alveolar — Tongue blade approaches the area just behind the alveolar ridge. /ʃ ʒ tʃ dʒ/ — ship, measure, chip, judge. Sometimes called "palato-alveolar" in older descriptions (Gimson, 1962). The tongue is slightly further back and the lips are often rounded.

Palatal — Tongue body rises toward the hard palate. /j/ — yes, you. English has only one palatal consonant, the approximant /j/. Some descriptions classify /ʃ ʒ tʃ dʒ/ as palato-alveolar, positioned between alveolar and palatal.

Velar — Tongue back contacts or approaches the soft palate (velum). /k ɡ ŋ/ — cat, got, sing. The velar nasal /ŋ/ never occurs word-initially in English, which can be challenging for learners whose L1 allows it (e.g., Vietnamese, Cantonese).

Glottal — Constriction at the glottis (vocal folds). /h/ — hat, who. The glottal fricative /h/ involves airflow through the open glottis without any oral obstruction. The glottal stop [ʔ], while not a separate English phoneme, is a common allophone of /t/ in many British dialects ("bottle" → [bɒʔl]).

The IPA Consonant Chart

The IPA consonant chart arranges sounds on two axes: place of articulation (columns, moving from front to back of the mouth) and manner of articulation (rows). Voiced and voiceless pairs occupy the same cell, with voiceless on the left. This chart is the single most important reference tool for understanding the consonant system.

Why It Matters for ELT

Diagnosis. When a learner mispronounces a consonant, identifying the place error allows precise correction. A Vietnamese learner saying /t/ for /θ/ is using the correct manner (fricative becomes plosive — actually a manner error) or the correct voicing but the wrong place. Knowing the articulatory parameters helps teachers give physical, actionable instructions ("put your tongue between your teeth") rather than vague ones ("say it differently").

L1 transfer. Most pronunciation errors are place-of-articulation transfers from the learner's L1. Arabic speakers may produce uvular sounds where English expects velar ones; French speakers may use a uvular /ʁ/ for English /r/; many Asian language speakers lack the dental place entirely.

Assimilation awareness. Assimilation — a key feature of connected speech — is fundamentally a place-of-articulation phenomenon. In "ten boys" /tem bɔɪz/, the alveolar /n/ assimilates to bilabial [m] because the following /b/ is bilabial. Understanding place makes these changes predictable rather than mysterious.

Phonemic chart use. The standard ELT phonemic chart (Adrian Underhill's version) groups consonants by place and manner. Teachers who understand the articulatory grid can use the chart as a classroom tool rather than just a poster.

Key References

• Roach, P. (2009). English Phonetics and Phonology (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press. — Chapter 2-4 on consonant classification.
• Kelly, G. (2000). How to Teach Pronunciation. Longman. — Chapter 1 on the phonemic chart and articulatory descriptions.
• Ladefoged, P. & Johnson, K. (2015). A Course in Phonetics (7th ed.). Cengage. — The standard articulatory phonetics reference.
• Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D., & Goodwin, J. (2010). Teaching Pronunciation (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. — Chapter 3 on consonant classification for teachers.
• Gimson, A.C. (1962). An Introduction to the Pronunciation of English. Edward Arnold. — Foundational British English phonetics description.