This Post looks at the consonantal sounds associated with 'c', 'ch' and 'k'

All these sounds are surprisingly different.

Take the following statement which a nurse might use: "Look at her condition - certainly a challenge"

'c' in the word condition is a straight forward cutting, dismembering sound originating from the middle of the upper hard palate in the roof of the mouth with the tongue rising towards the palate to help.

The sound of 'c' in the word certainly is not the same - otherwise it would be "curtainly"!

Instead the 'c' in this word requires an 's' sound as in see or sea. This sound does not come from the hard palate. It is an air sound where we blow air towards and through our upper teeth.

Try these two entirely different sounds concentrating upon the positions in the mouth from which they originate.

Being conscious about the difference in the two sounds enables us to realise their full potential.

When the 'c' is followed by an 'h' the sound is either ch as in the word used by the nurse of challenge or k as in the word loch.

Make the 'ch' sound and experience it as another air sound, this time with our breath leaving our mouth through closed upper and lower teeth with our tongue moving towards a very brief closure of the teeth before the sound is released.

The second sound of ch (loch) - 'k' leads us to the full sound of k itself often referred to by teachers and young pupils as the kicking k. This is a sound which is stronger and slightly 'shorter' in length, which has a noticeable impact upon the listener.

Like the 'c' the 'k' sound also comes from the hard palate of the roof of the mouth. With the k the tongue presses towards the lower set of teeth to give strength to this sound.

Both the 'c' and the 'k' have valuable characteristics and qualities of being able to close the sound of a word, boldly, cleanly and if necessary dramatically.

A very helpful exercise for developing our skill in forming the fullest characteristics and qualities of these sounds is "Come crooked craftiest cur" (Rudolf Steiner). Again as explained in the last Post for 'b' there is no meaning to the words, the value of the exercise is the positioning within them of the consonant 'c'.

The two types of 'c' sound, the 'ch' sound and that of the 'k' are a good introduction to two general types of sound - impact sounds and air or blown sounds. The c in the word from the nurse of condition and the k in the word look are impact sounds.

The 'c' in the word certainly and 'ch' in the word challenge require air, our breath and therefore known as air or blown sounds. We will meet these two main types as we progress through the alphabet.

To close the circle, choosing conventional pronunciation from spellings provided, for example Achilles, commander of the Myrmidons in Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey, where the 'ch' is pronounced 'k' as in "a-kil-eez".

The sounds of 'c', 'ch' and 'k' are in the attached recording.

I look forward to hearing from you about your experiences with this very powerful group of consonantal sounds.