🇯🇵Japanese Source WordCode: JA

閉鎖音

Pronunciation / Transliteration: heisaon

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Obstruent/ˈɒb.strʊ.ənt/
nounCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #15000 frequency
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🇯🇵 Example Sentence in Japanese:

"音声学では、'b'と'd'は閉鎖音の例です。"

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A speech sound that is produced with a significant constriction of the airflow, such as stops, fricatives, and affricates.

    "In phonetics, the sounds 'b', 'd', and 'g' are examples of obstruents."
  2. 2

    A category of consonants that includes stops, fricatives, and affricates, characterized by a complete or partial blockage of airflow.

    "Obstruents contrast with sonorants, which allow for a more open airflow."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The term 'obstruent' originates from the Latin word 'obstruere', meaning 'to obstruct'. It was adopted into English in the early 20th century, primarily in the field of phonetics, to describe sounds that obstruct airflow in the vocal tract.

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