Consonantal

Consonantal is an adjective used in linguistics and in the study of writing systems. In phonology and phonetics it refers to features or segments associated with consonants, while in script analysis it can describe writing that encodes consonants more reliably than vowels. The exact scope of what counts as consonantal can vary across theories and languages.

In feature-based phonology, consonantal is a binary property, typically written as [+consonantal] or [-consonantal]. Consonantal segments include many types of sounds such as stops, fricatives, affricates, nasals, and liquids; vowels are generally [-consonantal]. Some analyses also classify glides or semivowels as consonantal or non-consonantal depending on the framework. The distinction helps account for syllable structure, onsets, codas, and certain phonotactic patterns.

In orthography, a consonantal script (abjad) emphasizes consonants in writing, with vowels either omitted or indicated with diacritics. Arabic and Hebrew scripts are classic examples. The term reflects historical and typological distinctions among writing systems, where some languages rely more on consonant letters to convey the core lexical information, and vowel notation varies by language and era.

The word derives from Latin consonantem, with the adjectival suffix -al, reflecting its connection to consonants in both phonology and writing.