consonant

A consonant is a speech sound made with some closure or constriction of the vocal tract.

Examples include

  • [p] pronounced with closure at the lips;
  • [d] pronounced with closure at the front of the tongue and the alveolar ridge;
  • [k] pronounced with the back of the tongue against the velum;
  • [m] and [n], which have air flowing through the nose (nasals)

Contrasting with consonants are vowels.

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