Approximantti

Approximantti is the Finnish term for the phonetic class known in English as approximants. Approximants are consonants produced with a narrowing of the vocal tract that is not tight enough to generate turbulent air flow, so they behave like consonants with vowel-like qualities. They are typically voiced and do not involve a full stoppage of airflow.

The main members of the approximant family include the palatal approximant [j] (as in yes or you), the labio-velar approximant [w] (as in wet or away), the alveolar lateral approximant [l] (as in light), and the alveolar approximate [ɹ] (a rhotic sound found in many dialects). Some languages also have other approximants, including velar or central varieties. When they occur in syllables, approximants are often described as semivowels; when they function as stable consonantal elements, they are called liquids.

Phonologically, approximants contrast with stops and fricatives and typically occupy high-sonority positions. They can serve as onset or coda elements in syllables and frequently transition smoothly to neighboring vowels, enabling glide-like sequences or syllabic realizations in some languages.

In Finnish and many other languages, approximants play a central role in representing vowel-like sounds in writing and speech. The exact inventory of approximants varies by language, but the core idea remains: a consonant produced with a narrow constriction that preserves a largely continuous airflow, yielding a sound between a consonant and a vowel.