Occlusifs

Occlusifs, or occlusive consonants, are a class of consonants in phonetics commonly known in English as stops or plosives. They are produced by a complete closure of the vocal tract at a given place of articulation, which momentarily blocks the airflow. The closure is then released, producing a brief burst of sound. The voicing of the vocal folds during the closure determines whether the stop is voiced or voiceless. In many languages, voiceless stops are aspirated at the release, giving an audible puff of air, while others are unaspirated or only lightly aspirated.

The most common places of articulation for occlusifs are bilabial [p, b], alveolar [t, d], and velar [k, g]. The glottal stop [ʔ] is also widely used as an occlusive in many languages, sometimes replacing another stop in rapid speech or in word boundaries. Some languages include additional occlusives at less common places of articulation, such as palatal stops [c, ɟ], though these are not universal.

Occlusifs contrast with other consonants such as fricatives, nasals, and approximants, primarily due to the manner of articulation: a complete closure followed by a release rather than a continuous constriction of the airflow. They can occur in various phonological contexts and may be unreleased in word-final position. Across languages, the inventory of occlusifs, their voicing, aspiration, and potential allophony contribute significantly to the sound systems of languages worldwide.