plosivelike

plosivelike refers to sounds in phonetics that share characteristics with plosives but are not true plosives. These sounds are often described as having a constriction in the vocal tract, similar to plosives, but they do not involve a complete closure and subsequent release of air. Instead, they might feature a partial closure, a slower release, or a different manner of airflow.

One common category of plosivelike sounds are fricatives, particularly those produced with a significant degree of obstruction, such as affricates. Affricates begin with a plosive closure and release, but this is immediately followed by a period of friction, creating a more complex sound than a simple plosive. The initial stop portion is plosive, but the fricative release lends it a plosivelike quality.

Other sounds that can be considered plosivelike might include implosives and ejectives, depending on the specific phonetic description. Implosives involve an inward flow of air, while ejectives involve a burst of air produced with a simultaneous closure of the glottis. While their airflow mechanisms differ from typical plosives, they share the characteristic of a significant obstruction in the vocal tract.

The term "plosivelike" is often used in comparative phonetics to describe sounds that are acoustically or articulatory similar to plosives but do not fit the strict definition of a plosive. This helps phoneticians categorize and describe the vast range of human speech sounds more precisely.