placeofarticulation

Place of articulation is a term in phonetics that refers to the location in the vocal tract where a consonant constricts the airflow during articulation. It is a fundamental dimension for classifying consonants, alongside manner of articulation (how the constriction is made) and voicing (whether the vocal folds vibrate).

The major places of articulation are bilabial (two lips, as in p, b, m), labiodental (lower lip with the upper teeth, f, v), dental (tongue tip or blade with the teeth, θ, ð), alveolar (tongue tip or blade with the alveolar ridge, t, d, s, z, n, l), postalveolar or palato-alveolar (behind the alveolar ridge, as in ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ), retroflex (tip curled back, found in some languages), palatal (body of the tongue against the hard palate, j, ɲ, ɟ), velar (back of the tongue against the soft palate, k, g, ŋ), uvular (tongue back toward the uvula, q, ɢ, ʁ), and glottal (constriction at the glottis, h, ʔ). Some languages also contrast pharyngeal places (e.g., ʕ, ħ). A single consonant may involve more than one articulatory site, as in affricates or complex coarticulation.

Secondary articulations may accompany a primary place of articulation, such as labialization, palatalization, velarization, or pharyngealization, adding another dimension to place without changing the core constriction site. In linguistic analysis, place of articulation is often indicated in transcription and cross-linguistic descriptions, helping to explain patterns of phoneme inventories, phonotactics, and sound change.