What is a consonant?

Definition
	A consonant is a sound made by a partial or complete closure of the vocal tract.

Discussion

A consonant is produced by an interaction between a passive articulator and an active articulator. The active articulator is brought into contact with or in close proximity to the passive articulator.

Here are the two parameters for identifying consonants:

The production of consonants can be modified. For more information,

See:

What is a consonant modification?

See also
	What is a vowel? What is an articulation process?

Context for this page:

Concept module: consonant
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): C
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 2 July 1998