Classifications of consonants

FORTIS          LENIS

/p/ pipe                                                       /b/ Bible

/t/ tight                                                        /d/ died

/k/ cake                                                       /g/ gag

/ t?/church                                                   /d3/judge

/f/ five                                                        /v/ vibrant

/ ? / three                                                    / ? / thee

/s/ soup                                                       /z/ zoo

/?/ pressure                                                  /3/ pleasure

The English consonants /h, m, n, ?, 1, w, j, r/ do not enter into fortis-lenis opposition which can

be represented by the following minimal pairs:

Pat-bat, tip-dip, come-gum, etc.

II. According to the position of the active organ of speech against the point of articulation (the
place of obstruction) consonants are classified into: 1) labial, 2) lingual, 3) glottal.

This principle provides the basis for the following distinctive oppositions: labial vs. lingual (what-hot), lingual vs. glottal (that-hat), labial vs. glottal (foam-home).