What is another word for consonants?

Pronunciation: [kˈɒnsənənts] (IPA)

Consonants are the building blocks of language, and there are many synonyms to describe these essential sounds. One such term is "consonant sounds," which refers to the phonetic units that are produced by the vocal tract and characterized by a closure or obstruction of airflow. Other synonyms for consonants include "obstruent sounds," which emphasizes the blocking or obstructive quality of these sounds, as well as "fricatives," "plosives," and "affricates," which describe particular subsets of consonants based on their articulation. Additionally, terms like "non-vowels," "constants," and "mute sounds" are also used to refer to consonants in speech and written language.

What are the hypernyms for Consonants?

A hypernym is a word with a broad meaning that encompasses more specific words called hyponyms.
  • Other hypernyms:

    Speech Sounds, linguistic sounds.

Usage examples for Consonants

There is none of the easy drawl, the oblivion of consonants, which mark our daily talk, It is very beautiful in the speech of women in England, this clear enunciation and the proper use of words.
"Manners and Social Usages"
Mrs. John M. E. W. Sherwood
At first she only obtained consonants, but by a second process which supplied the vowels she received a clear and sufficient answer.
"The Memoires of Casanova, Complete The Rare Unabridged London Edition Of 1894, plus An Unpublished Chapter of History, By Arthur Symons"
Jacques Casanova de Seingalt
To develop the vowel sounds, the soft palate should be drawn forward, allowing a free passage into the nose; it should be closed only to form the consonants which require a forcible expulsion of breath from the mouth.
"Resonance in Singing and Speaking"
Thomas Fillebrown

Famous quotes with Consonants

  • Brute animals have the vowel sounds; man only can utter consonants.
    Samuel Taylor Coleridge
  • Out of the simple consonants of the alphabet and our eleven vowels and diphthongs all possible syllables of a certain sort were constructed, a vowel sound being placed between two consonants.
    Hermann Ebbinghaus
  • Physics is nothing but the ABC's. Nature is an equation with an unknown, a Hebrew word which is written only with consonants to which reason has to add the dots.
    Johann G. Hamann
  • Brute animals have the vowel sounds; man only can utter consonants.
    Samuel Taylor Coleridge
  • A poet for whom sound is crucial, who relishes the way words and consonants knock around together.
    Seamus Heaney

Related words: consonant chart, consonants list, english consonants, alphabet consonants

Related questions:

  • What are the consonants in the english language?
  • What are the names of the consonants in the english language?
  • How do you pronounce consonants?
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