(Notation)

PROFILES OF HUMAN SPEECH

The Basic Profiles present the points of articulation for each individual sound

Consonants 1                       Consonants 2

                                  Vowels 1                             Vowels 2

English often uses several consonants together in sequence.  The profiles in Consonant Clusters present the series of points of articulation used in making a sampling of the consonant clusters of English.  A key to making consonant clusters is timing.  We often overlap movements of articulation.  The "bble" of "bubble" is made by completing the "b" before starting the "l."  In the "bl" of "blue," the tongue moves to the position for the "l" before the lips open to end the "b."  The clusters are represented here by the letters used to spell them.

CLUSTER PAGE 1                   CLUSTER PAGE 2

                             "bble" of bubble                         "ch" of "church"

                             "bd" of "abduct"                         "cl" of "clue"

                             "bj" of "object"                          ""cle" of "uncle"

                             "bl" of "blue"                             "cqu" of "acquire"

                             "br" of "bring"                           "cr" of "cream"

                            "bre" of "timbre"                        "cst" of "ecstacy"

                            "cc" of "accept"                         "ct" of "act"

The diagrams were drawn by San Francisco Bay Area artist Douglas Wilson.  The diagrams were taken from the manual Speech by Touch, Feeling the Movements of Speaking English by Jonathan Albert.