Definition

Noun: A speech sound produced by placing the tip of the tongue against or near the alveolar ridge (the bony ridge behind the upper front teeth).

Usage

This term is used in phonetics and linguistics to classify a specific place of articulation for consonant sounds. It describes how and where the sound is made in the mouth.

Examples

• The sounds /t/, /d/, /s/, and /n/ in English are alveolar consonants.
• In the word "stop," both the /t/ and the /s/ are alveolar consonants.
• Linguists study how alveolar consonants differ from bilabial or velar sounds.

Advanced Usage

• Alveolarization: The process by which a non-alveolar sound becomes alveolar.
• Post-alveolar: Refers to sounds articulated just behind the alveolar ridge, such as /ʃ/ (as in "ship").

Variants and Related Words

• Alveolar (Adjective): Pertaining to the alveolar ridge or an alveolar consonant.
  • Example: The /d/ sound has an alveolar place of articulation.
• Alveolar Ridge (Noun Phrase): The anatomical feature involved in producing these sounds.

Synonyms

• Alveolar (when used as a noun in technical contexts)

Different Meanings

This term has a highly specific meaning in phonetics. It does not have common alternative meanings outside this technical field.

Noun

1. a consonant articulated with the tip of the tongue near the gum ridge