noncontinuant

Noncontinuant is a term used in phonology to describe segments that cannot be produced with a continuously sustained airstream in the oral cavity. In many feature-based analyses, continuant is a binary feature opposite noncontinuant: sounds that can be held or extended without changing their phonetic identity are [+continuant], such as vowels, fricatives, and approximants, while sounds that require a moment of complete oral constriction are [−continuant], such as stops and many affricates.

There is some variation in how specific segments are classified. Most analyses place stops (p, b, t, d, k, g) in the noncontinuant category. Affricates (for example, t͡s, d͡z, t͡ʃ, d͡ʒ) are also typically treated as noncontinuants because of their brief stop-like release, though some theoretical frameworks treat affricates differently. Nasal segments are another point of cross-framework disagreement: some analyses count nasals as noncontinuants due to the oral occlusion, while others classify them separately or as continuants depending on the theoretical model.

In linguistic analysis, noncontinuant is often used to distinguish obstruents from continuants, which include vowels, fricatives, and approximants. This feature helps explain phonotactic patterns, assimilation processes, and cross-language variation in consonant inventories. While the concept is widely used, its exact specification can vary across phonological theories.

See also: obstruent, continuant, voicing, phonological feature, phonotactics.