Mellékhangzó

Mellékhangzó is a term used in phonetics and Hungarian linguistics to describe semivowels or glides. They are a class of sounds produced with relatively open articulation, more sonorous than most consonants but still treated as consonantal in many phonological systems. Mellékhangzók function as transitions between vowels and other consonants and commonly appear as syllable onsets or as part of diphthongs. In many analyses they are described as approximants.

The core members of mellékhangzó in many languages are the palatal approximant [j] and the labio-velar approximant [w]. The [j] sound is heard in the English word yes, and the [w] sound in we. These sounds are typically voiced, though cross-linguistic variation can produce voiceless allophones or loanword variants. Other approximants such as velar [ɰ] or alveolar [ɹ] may be discussed in broader contexts, but [j] and [w] are the most commonly cited examples of mellékhangzó.

In Hungarian usage, mellékhangzók refer to the semivowel sounds that interact with vowels within syllables and across vowel sequences. The orthography often associates mellékhangzó [j] with the letter j, which represents the glide in many words; loanwords can introduce additional approximants.

Compared with vowels, mellékhangzók typically do not form the syllable nucleus on their own and exhibit consonant-like behavior in phonotactics, yet their high sonority and rapid articulation give them vowel-like perceptual qualities in many contexts. See also vowels, consonants, approximants, phonology.