User:Sengai Podhuvan/Phonemes (Articulations), Tolkappiyam 1-3

by Tolkappiyar

righht

parts of articulation of speech

Speech is articulated with the four segments such as (1)speech-effort, (2)speech-organs, (3)positions of speech-organs and (4)moving of speech-organs, according to Tolkappiyam. (1-83)

Relevant message is given below in the order of the original text noted within brackets or seperately.

Speech effort

Raising wind starts from diaphragm (a muscular sheet below the longs). On the way it touches 8 vocal organs. Head, pharynx, larynx are the three places where they touch. Teeth, lip, tongue, nose and palate are the five places where they play before producing voice.

(According to modern science the larynx or voice box is the anchor of vocal folds. It impedes the airflow from the lungs to create vocal folds. A periodic cycle in speech organs produces phonemes.)

vowels

letter or phoneme	articulation	note in Tamil	verse
all 12 vowels in Tamil	unobstructed flow of air through the throat region	உயிர் 12	84
[a], [aa]	through wide of mouth	அ, ஆ	85
[i], pii], [e], [ee], [ai]	side of the front of the tongue tough the teeth-ridge	இ, ஈ, எ, ஏ, ஐ	86
[u], [uu], [o], [oo], [au]	lips rounded	உ, ஊ, ஒ, ஓ, ஔ	87
among them	some small variations	சிறிய திரிபு	88

consonants

hard and soft consonants

phoneme	articulation	letter (in Tamil)	articulation (in Tamil)	verse
[k], [ng] or [nk]	the blade of the tongue touching the beginning soft palate	க, ங	அடிநா அண்ணம்	1-89
[s], [nj]	the middle of the tongue touching mid-region of of the palate	ச, ஞ	இடைநா அண்ணம்	1-90
[t], [n']	the tip of the tongue touching the palate's front	ட, ண	நுனிநா அண்ணம்	(1-91) above 6 articulate in 3 palate positions (1-92)
[th], [n"]	spreading tip of the tongue contacting the back of the teeth-ridge	த, ந	நா-நுனி பரந்து அண்ணம் நண்ணிய பல்முதல் மருங்கில் மெய்யுற ஒற்ற	1-93
[p], [m]	lips contact	ப, ம	இதழ் இயைதல்	1-97
[tr], [n]	rising tip of the tongue touching the palate above	ற, ன	நுனிநா அணரி அண்ணம் ஒற்ற	1-94

• soft consonants articulate through the nasal region (1-100)

medial consonants

• Medial consonants are neither hard nor soft.

phonee or letter	articulation	Tamil letter	Tamil source	verse
[r], [z]	the tip of the tongue rises and strikes against the palate	ர, ழ	நுனிநா அணரி அண்ணம் வருட	1-95
[l], [l']	the blade of the tongue moves up and touches the back of the teeth-ridge the blade of the tongue moves up and comes into being	ல, ள	நா-விளிம்பு வீங்கி அண்ணம் முதல் உற நா-விளிம்பு வீங்கி அண்ணம் முதல் வருட	1-96
[v]	two-lips-contact in a mouth -	வ	பல் இதழ் இயைய	1-98
[y]	the air through the throat (larynx) subjecting to the stricture (of the open approximation) against the palate	ய	அண்ணம் சேர்ந்த மிடற்று எழு வளியிசை கண்ணுற்று அடைய	1-99

• Secondary phonemes articulate as their primary phonemes. (1-101)

difference from Sanskrit

(There is no plosive variations in Tamil script as there is in Sanskrit. Consonant clustering either may be articulated with or without plosive)

• The functional shaping of the air through pulmonary, glottal, velar, palate, teeth and nasal parts were only spoken above. The phonic measure of each distinctive sound spoken in 'Anthanar' treatises are unimpeachable. (1-102)