Chapter 7 The sound inventory
The four fricative digraphs
Two letters, one onset
Phi writes four consonant sounds with two roman letters: ph, th, sh, wh. Each pair stays together when a word is divided into syllables. Thus lothea is lo.the.a, never lot.he.a.
The digraphs give Phi much of its audible breath, but they do not reveal a word's meaning. shiro is a tree and shelomu is understanding. Any association a speaker hears belongs to the whole word, not to a secret definition inside sh.
| Digraph | Reference IPA | Description | Useful approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| ph | /ɸ/ | voiceless bilabial fricative | air between the lips, without the teeth |
| th | /θ/ | voiceless dental fricative | English "think" |
| sh | /ʃ/ | voiceless postalveolar fricative | English "ship" |
| wh | /ʍ/ | voiceless labial-velar sound | an unvoiced w |
ph at the lips
For ph /ɸ/, bring the lips close without sealing them and send air through the narrow gap. The teeth take no part. A hand in front of the mouth should feel steady air rather than the brief release of p.
Conversational [f] is accepted. Learning /ɸ/ still gives a speaker access to the shared reference pronunciation and to the contrast between continuous ph and the brief closure of p.
phiro/ˈɸi.ro̞/ (elegant)nophi/ˈn̪o̞.ɸi/ (story)
th at the teeth
For th /θ/, rest the tongue tip lightly between the teeth or just behind the upper front teeth, then let air pass through the gap without voice. A hand on the throat helps distinguish the quiet vocal folds of English "think" from the vibration in "this".
A mildly affricated [t̪θ] is accepted. The important contrast is that th remains distinguishable from t, s, and ph.
thomari/θo̞.ˈmä.ri/ (courage)thesua/θe̞.ˈsu.ä/ (mindful)lothea/lo̞.ˈθe̞.ä/ (love)
sh behind the ridge
For sh /ʃ/, raise the front of the tongue behind the tooth ridge and leave a broad channel for unvoiced air. English "ship" is a close model for many speakers.
shea/ˈʃe̞.ä/ (peace)shiro/ˈʃi.ro̞/ (tree)shelira/ʃe̞.ˈli.rä/ (forest)shelomu/ʃe̞.ˈlo̞.mu/ (understand)
wh with rounded lips
For wh /ʍ/, take the lip and tongue position for w but leave the vocal folds quiet. Some English accents preserve this difference in "which" and "witch". Speakers who do not have it can begin with a softly whispered w.
Conversational [w̥] and [hw] are accepted. In each case, keep wh distinct from voiced w so that pairs of Phi words do not collapse into one another.
whemura/ʍe̞.ˈmu.rä/ (dream)whelani/ʍe̞.ˈlä.n̪i/ (welcome)whunei/ʍu.ˈn̪e̞.i/ (breathe)whuo/ˈʍu.o̞/ (without)
Comparing the four
Hold /ɸ/, /θ/, /ʃ/, and /ʍ/ in turn, with no voice during any fricative. Then place a hand lightly on the throat and repeat them. The four tongue and lip positions should differ even though the airflow stays unvoiced.
That attention can become part of mindful speech, but producing /ɸ/ does not certify anyone's state of mind. It is first of all a consonant, and consonants have enough work already.