ABSTRACT
Most varieties of English have nine fricative phonemes. The fricatives all involve turbulent airflow through a narrow channel between the articulators. The pairs of fricatives are distinguished in the following ways: initial position:strength of articulation medial position:voicing; also length of preceding segmentfinal position:length of preceding segment; also strength of articulation. The vocal folds are abducted (held apart) in the voiceless phonation posture throughout the sound. The inner surface of the upper lip is brought into close approximation with the undersurface of the upper front teeth, mainly through a closing movement of the lower jaw, and a narrow channel is left between them. The vocal folds are vibrating in the voiced phonation posture through all of the sound. The most salient feature is the band of markings spreading up the frequency range corresponding to the energy component of the fricatives. The vocal folds are vibrating in the voiced phonation posture through all of this sound.
