Voiced consonants are consonant sounds that are produced with the vocal cords vibrating, as opposed to voiceless consonants, which are produced without vocal cord vibration. There are several ways to classify consonants, and one way is by voicing.
There are several voiced consonants in English, including /b/, /d/, /g/, /j/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /r/, /v/, /w/, and /z/. These consonants can be contrasted with voiceless consonants such as /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /s/, and /θ/.
One way to produce voiced consonants is by stopping the airflow with the mouth or throat and then releasing the air while vibrating the vocal cords. For example, the /b/ sound in the word "bad" is produced by stopping the airflow with the lips and then releasing the air while vibrating the vocal cords. The /d/ sound in the word "dog" is produced by stopping the airflow with the tip of the tongue and the roof of the mouth and then releasing the air while vibrating the vocal cords.
Voiced consonants are often produced in the throat, such as the /g/ sound in the word "go," which is produced by stopping the airflow with the back of the tongue and the soft palate and then releasing the air while vibrating the vocal cords. The /j/ sound in the word "yes" is also produced in the throat, by stopping the airflow with the front of the tongue and the hard palate and then releasing the air while vibrating the vocal cords.
Voiced consonants can also be produced in the nose, such as the /m/ sound in the word "man," which is produced by stopping the airflow with the lips and the nose and then releasing the air while vibrating the vocal cords. The /n/ sound in the word "no" is also produced in the nose, by stopping the airflow with the tip of the tongue and the roof of the mouth and then releasing the air while vibrating the vocal cords.
In summary, voiced consonants are consonant sounds that are produced with the vocal cords vibrating. There are several voiced consonants in English, and they are produced in various ways, such as by stopping the airflow with the mouth or throat and then releasing the air while vibrating the vocal cords, or by stopping the airflow with the nose and then releasing the air while vibrating the vocal cords. Understanding how to produce and recognize voiced consonants is important for proper pronunciation and communication in English and other languages.