Continuant
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In phonetics, a continuant is a speech sound produced without a complete closure in the oral cavity, namely fricatives, approximants and vowels.[1] Approximants and vowels are sometimes called "frictionless continuants".[2] Continuants contrast with occlusives, such as stops, affricates and nasals.
Compare sonorant (resonant), which includes vowels, approximants and nasals but not fricatives, and contrasts with obstruent.
Whether laterals, taps/flaps, or trills are continuant is not conclusive.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "continuant" in Bussamann, Routledge dictionary of language and linguistics, 1996
- ^ "approximant" in Crystal, A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics, 6th ed, 2008
- ^ Hayes, Bruce (2009). Introductory Phonology. Blackwell. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-4051-8411-3.
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