Tärinänpitoääntä

Tärinänpitoääntä, literally translating to "vibration-holding sound" in English, is a phonetic concept used in Finnish linguistics to describe a specific type of speech sound. It refers to a consonant sound that is produced with a continuous vibration of the vocal cords and a consistent airflow through the vocal tract, without any complete closure or obstruction of the airflow.

These sounds are characterized by their sustained nature. Unlike stop consonants, which involve a momentary blockage of air followed by release, or fricatives, which involve turbulence created by a narrow constriction, tärinänpitoääni maintains a steady vocal cord vibration and a relatively unobstructed passage of air for its duration.

In Finnish phonetics, the primary example of a tärinänpitoääntä is the rhotic sound, often represented by the letter 'r'. This 'r' sound is typically an alveolar trill, meaning it is produced by rapidly vibrating the tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge. The vibration itself is a sustained process, fitting the definition of tärinänpitoääntä.

The concept helps distinguish between different types of consonant articulations. While it might overlap with certain categories in broader phonetic systems, like sonorant consonants, tärinänpitoääntä specifically emphasizes the continuous vibratory and airflow characteristics. Understanding this classification is important for accurate phonetic analysis and description of Finnish speech sounds.