Definition

Noun: A plosive speech sound is a consonant sound produced by completely blocking the airflow in the vocal tract and then releasing it suddenly. This creates a small burst of sound. Plosives are also commonly called stop consonants.

Usage

The term is used in phonetics and linguistics to classify and describe a specific type of consonant sound based on its manner of articulation.

Examples

• The sounds /p/, /t/, and /k/ are plosive speech sounds in English.
• In the word "cat," the initial sound /k/ is a voiceless plosive speech sound.
• Linguists study how plosive speech sounds are produced in different languages.

Advanced Usage

• Aspiration: Some plosive speech sounds can be aspirated (released with a strong puff of air, like the /p/ in "pin") or unaspirated (like the /p/ in "spin").
• Place of Articulation: Plosive speech sounds are further categorized by where the airflow is blocked: bilabial (/p/, /b/), alveolar (/t/, /d/), velar (/k/, /g/), etc.
• Voice Onset Time (VOT): This is a key acoustic feature distinguishing voiced plosives (like /b/, /d/, /g/) from voiceless ones (like /p/, /t/, /k/).

Variants and Related Words

• Stop (noun): A common synonym for "plosive speech sound."
• Plosive (noun/adjective): The shortened, more frequent form. (e.g., "English has six plosive consonants.").
• Occlusive (noun): A broader term that includes both plosives and nasals.

Synonyms

• Stop consonant
• Stop
• Plosive consonant
• Occlusive (in a broader sense)

Related Phrases

• Plosive series: Refers to the set of plosive sounds in a language (e.g., the English plosive series is /p, b, t, d, k, g/).
• Bilabial plosive: A plosive made with both lips (/p/, /b/).
• Velar plosive: A plosive made with the back of the tongue against the soft palate (/k/, /g/).

Noun

1. a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it
   • his stop consonants are too aspirated