SPANISH PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEM

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SPANISH PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEM

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The Spanish phonological system is divided into:

 Vowels

 Consonants

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Vowel Sounds

They are produced without an obstruction in the oral cavity.

/a/ paso - step /e/ peso - weight /i/ piso - apartment /o/ poso - sediment /u/ puso – he or she put

Vowel Sounds:

Spanish has a simple, symmetrical five-vowel system. Based on the vertical movement of the tongue, which is the height dimension, Spanish vowels are either high, mid, or low. Along the front-back dimension, Spanish vowels are either front, central, or back. Take a look at the chart below:

Examples:

Diphthongs, Triphthongs and Hiatus in Spanish

In Spanish we have strong vowels (a-e-o) and weak vowels (i-u)

Diphthongs:

We call diphthong to the combination of one strong vowel (a,e,o) with a weak one (i,u), or two weak vowels together. Diphthongs are counted as one syllable. It may not be separated unless the weak vowel bears a written accent called “tilde”.

Examples:

Triphthongs

They are made of three vowels together. There is only one combination; it needs to be one strong vowel between two weak vowels.

Examples:

Hiatus:

If a weak vowel is stressed or two strong vowels meet in a word, there is a separation called hiatus. Example of hiatus:

Examples:

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Consonant Sounds

As opposed to vowels, the pronunciation of consonants requires a certain degree of obstruction, which is produced in the oral cavity by various organs and muscles like the tongue and the teeth.

Examples:

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Consonant Clusters in Spanish

Here we have consonant clusters that are common in Spanish words. Most frequently Spanish words are spelled with a (consonant + vowel) pattern. But oftentimes a (2consonant + vowel) occurs in accordance to the examples below.

Examples:

SPANISH PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEM

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