Affrikáták

Affrikáták, also known as affricates, are a class of consonants in phonetics. They are produced by stopping airflow momentarily and then releasing it with friction. This means an affricate begins like a stop consonant (like a /p/, /t/, or /k/) but ends with a fricative sound (like an /f/, /s/, or /ʃ/). Think of the "ch" sound in "chair" or the "j" sound in "judge."

The process of producing an affricate involves two phases. First, the articulators (tongue, lips, etc.) close off the vocal tract completely, preventing airflow, similar to the initial stage of a stop. Then, instead of a sudden release of the built-up pressure, the closure is gradually widened, creating a turbulent airflow that generates a fricative sound. This gradual release is what distinguishes affricates from simple stops.

Affricates are found in many languages around the world. For instance, in English, the sounds /tʃ/ (as in "church") and /dʒ/ (as in "judge") are common affricates. Other languages have different sets of affricates. For example, German has /ts/ (as in "Zeit") and Polish has a variety of affricates including /t͡s/, /t͡ɕ/, and /d͡z/. The exact phonetic realization can vary slightly depending on the surrounding sounds and the specific language. They are considered single consonant sounds by linguists, despite being made up of two distinct articulatory phases.