Definition

1. Noun:
   • A stop consonant: A consonant sound produced by completely stopping the flow of air in the vocal tract and then releasing it suddenly. This is a technical term in phonetics.

Usage

• The term "stop consonant" is used in linguistics and phonetics to classify and describe speech sounds. It is an academic term.
• It is often contrasted with other consonant types, such as fricatives or approximants.
• Example: In the word "cat," the sounds represented by 'c' (/k/) and 't' are both stop consonants.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The sounds /p/, /t/, /k/, /b/, /d/, and /g/ are all examples of stop consonants in English.
  • Linguists study how stop consonants are articulated in different languages.
  • His pronunciation of the stop consonant /t/ was very clear.

Advanced Usage

• "Voiced stop consonant": A stop consonant where the vocal cords vibrate during the stop (e.g., /b/, /d/, /g/).
  • The voiced stop consonant /d/ is common in many languages.
• "Voiceless stop consonant": A stop consonant where the vocal cords do not vibrate (e.g., /p/, /t/, /k/).
  • English has a series of voiceless stop consonants.

Variants and Related Words

• Stop (n): A common shortened form of "stop consonant" used in linguistics.
  • The phoneme /p/ is a bilabial stop.
• Plosive (n): A synonym for "stop consonant," frequently used in British English linguistics.
  • Plosives are characterized by a burst of air upon release.

Synonyms

• Plosive: (noun) A consonant sound produced by complete closure of the vocal tract, followed by a release with a burst of air. This is a direct synonym.
• Occlusive: (noun) A broader term that can include both stops and nasals, but is sometimes used synonymously with "stop."

Related Phrases / Terms

• Nasal stop: A consonant where the airflow is stopped in the oral cavity but released through the nose (e.g., /m/, /n/, /ŋ/). This is a related but distinct category.
  • Unlike an oral stop consonant, a nasal stop allows air to escape through the nasal passage.
• Glottal stop: A stop consonant produced by closing the glottis (the space between the vocal cords), represented by the symbol /ʔ/.
  • The glottal stop is a type of stop consonant found in many languages, including some dialects of English.

Noun

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