obstruents

Obstruents are a class of consonantal sounds in phonetics and phonology. They are made by obstructing the airflow in the vocal tract, and are typically characterized by their difficulty being produced. Obstruents are often further divided into subcategories, including plosives, fricatives, nasals, and affricates.

Plosives are a type of obstruent that are made by blocking the airflow completely, before releasing it suddenly. Examples of plosive sounds include English 't' and 'p'. Fricatives, on the other hand, are made by blocking the airflow, but not releasing it completely. Instead, air escapes through a narrow channel, producing friction. Examples of fricative sounds include English 's' and 'v'.

Nasals, a third type of obstruent, are made by directing the airflow through the nasal cavity. Examples of nasal sounds include English 'm' and 'n'. Affricates, the fourth type of obstruent, are voiced plosives that are followed by a fricative release. English 'ch' in the word 'church' is an example of an affricate.

In phonology, obstruents are often marked as [−sonorant], indicating that they do not have a large degree of sonority. Obstruents are also typically voiced or fortis, meaning they can be either voiced (made with the vocal cords vibrating) or unvoiced (made without the vocal cords vibrating). The distinction between voiced and unvoiced obstruents can be significant in determining the meaning of words in certain languages.