Which term refers to the place where speech sounds are formed by the tongue, lips, and other organs?

Which term refers to the place where speech sounds are formed by the tongue, lips, and other organs?

• A. Place of Articulation
• B. Manner of Articulation
• C. Voicing
• D. Phoneme Category

Answer: (A)

The place of articulation describes where speech sounds are formed in the vocal tract. It names the location of the constriction—lips (bilabial), tongue against the teeth (dental), tongue against the alveolar ridge (alveolar), tongue against the hard palate (palatal), tongue against the soft palate (velar), or the glottis (glottal). This focuses on the physical spot of articulation, not on how the air is blocked or whether the vocal cords vibrate. The other terms describe different features: manner of articulation explains how the airflow is shaped (stops, fricatives, nasals, etc.); voicing indicates whether the vocal cords vibrate during production; and phoneme category refers to the mental class of sounds used to distinguish meaning.

The place of articulation describes where speech sounds are formed in the vocal tract. It names the location of the constriction—lips (bilabial), tongue against the teeth (dental), tongue against the alveolar ridge (alveolar), tongue against the hard palate (palatal), tongue against the soft palate (velar), or the glottis (glottal). This focuses on the physical spot of articulation, not on how the air is blocked or whether the vocal cords vibrate. The other terms describe different features: manner of articulation explains how the airflow is shaped (stops, fricatives, nasals, etc.); voicing indicates whether the vocal cords vibrate during production; and phoneme category refers to the mental class of sounds used to distinguish meaning.