In
articulatory phonetics, the
place of articulation (also
point of articulation) of a
consonant is the point of contact where an occurs in the
vocal tract between an
articulatory gesture, an active
articulator (typically some part of the tongue), and a passive location (typically some part of the roof of the mouth). Along with the
manner of articulation and the
phonation, this gives the consonant its distinctive sound.