Sconsonants

Sconsonants is a term that appears in some phonological discussions to designate a subset of consonantal sounds characterized by a hiss-like, sibilant acoustic quality. The label is not standardized, and its precise membership varies by author. In many accounts, S-consonants are treated as a subset of sibilants, typically including coronal fricatives and affricates that produce strong frication, such as s, z, ts, dz, and their palato-alveolar or alveolar variants. Some analyses expand the group to include additional high-frequency sibilants, while others restrict it to sounds with a particular spectral profile or articulatory locus.

Common features associated with S-consonants include a narrow oral constriction at the alveolar, dental, or postalveolar region and a prominent frication noise that emphasizes higher frequencies. They commonly contrast with non-sibilant consonants in languages that make a distinction between hiss-like sounds and other types of consonantal noise. Both voiceless and voiced members can occur within the class in different languages.

In phonological descriptions, S-consonants may participate in processes such as place and voicing assimilation, regressive harmony, or historical sound changes that involve sibilants. Their distribution and behavior are language-dependent, and because the term is not universally used, it often requires clarification within a given study.

See also: sibilants, consonants, phonology, affricate, fricative.