Stopptyp

Stopptyp is a theoretical typology used in phonology to classify stop consonants by their release and voicing properties in order to facilitate cross-language comparison of consonant inventories. The term combines the German words Stopp (stop) and Typ (type) and is used in some German-language phonological literature to refer to a “type of stop.”

Core concepts: Stopptyp distinguishes stops by voicing (voiceless vs voiced), aspiration (aspirated vs unaspirated), and release pattern (immediate release vs delayed release, such as glottal release). Additional dimensions can include place of articulation (bilabial, alveolar, velar, etc.) and the phonation state at release (modal, breathy, creaky). In practice, researchers use Stopptyp to map how languages contrast stops and how these contrasts arise or disappear in diachronic change. Some analyses also consider pre-stopped or affricate-like realizations that blur the line between stops and other obstruents.

Applications: The typology is used to model inventories of stops across languages, to compare typological patterns between language families, and to infer historical sound changes through reconstruction. It can inform phonotactic studies by clarifying which stop types appear in syllable onsets or codas and how they interact with surrounding vowels and consonants.

Limitations: The Stopptyp framework is one of several approaches in global phonology and is not universally adopted. Data quality, allophony, and language contact can blur category boundaries, and some researchers prefer alternative classification schemes that emphasize features like aspiration, voicing contrast, or the timing of release.

See also: Stop consonant, Plosive, Phonology, Phonotactics, Language typology.