Fricatory

Fricatory is a term used in phonetics to describe a consonant sound produced by constricting the vocal tract in such a way that it causes turbulent airflow, producing a hissing or friction-like sound. This turbulence is the defining characteristic of fricatives. The place of articulation, where the constriction occurs, and the manner of articulation, the degree of constriction, determine the specific fricative sound.

Common places of articulation for fricatives include the lips (labial), teeth (dental), alveolar ridge (alveolar), palate (palatal), and velum (velar). For example, the /f/ sound in "fan" is a labiodental fricative, made by bringing the lower lip into light contact with the upper teeth. The /s/ sound in "sun" is an alveolar fricative, produced by raising the tongue tip close to the alveolar ridge.

Fricatives can also be voiced or voiceless. Voiced fricatives are produced with vibration of the vocal cords, while voiceless fricatives are produced without vocal cord vibration. Examples of voiceless fricatives include /f/, /s/, and /ʃ/ (as in "shoe"). Examples of voiced fricatives include /v/, /z/, and /ʒ/ (as in "measure"). The continuous nature of the turbulent airflow is another key feature, meaning that fricatives can be sustained as long as the speaker has enough air. This contrasts with stops, which are characterized by a complete blockage of airflow.