stopplosive

A "stopplosive" is a type of consonant sound characterized by a complete closure or occlusion of the vocal tract, followed by a sudden release of built-up air pressure. This production involves stopping the airflow entirely at a particular point in the oral cavity, then releasing it to produce a distinctive plosive sound. Stopplosives are a fundamental category of consonants in many languages and are often referred to as "plosive consonants" or simply "stops."

In phonetics, stopplosives are classified based on their place of articulation, which includes bilabial (both lips, e.g., /p/ and /b/), alveolar (tongue against alveolar ridge, e.g., /t/ and /d/), velar (back of the tongue against the soft palate, e.g., /k/ and /g/), among others. They can also be voiced or voiceless; voiceless stopplosives involve no vocal cord vibration during the closure (e.g., /p/, /t/, /k/), while voiced ones do (e.g., /b/, /d/, /g/).

Stopplosives are distinguished from other consonant types by the manner of articulation, with a focus on the complete obstruction and rapid release. They play a crucial role in phonology, affecting the structure and sound of words across languages. Examples include the English sounds /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, and /g/. Their study is fundamental in understanding speech production, phonetic differences across languages, and the development of speech recognition technology.