Central consonant
Encyclopedia
A central or medial consonant is a consonant
sound that is produced when air flows across the center of the mouth over the tongue. The class contrasts with lateral consonant
s, in which air flows over the sides of the tongue rather than down its center.
Examples of central consonants are the voiced alveolar fricative
(the "z" in the English word "zoo") and the palatal approximant
(the "y" in the English word "yes"). Others are the central fricatives [θ ð s z ʃ ʒ ʂ ʐ ɕ ʑ ç ʝ x ɣ χ ʁ], the central approximants [ɹ ɻ j ɥ ɰ w ʍ], the trills [r ʀ], and the central flaps [ɾ ɽ].
The term does not apply to nasal consonants such as [m n ŋ], as there is no possibility of lateral nasal airflow. No language releases oral stops such as [p b t d k ɡ] to the side, though non-labial stops such as [t d k ɡ] may have a secondary lateral release
. However, stop consonants are lumped in as central consonants. The labial fricatives [f v] often—perhaps usually—have lateral airflow, as the lip blocks the airflow in the center, but nonetheless they are not considered lateral consonants because no language makes a distinction between the two.
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
sound that is produced when air flows across the center of the mouth over the tongue. The class contrasts with lateral consonant
Lateral consonant
A lateral is an el-like consonant, in which airstream proceeds along the sides of the tongue, but is blocked by the tongue from going through the middle of the mouth....
s, in which air flows over the sides of the tongue rather than down its center.
Examples of central consonants are the voiced alveolar fricative
Voiced alveolar fricative
The voiced alveolar fricatives are consonantal sounds. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents these sounds depends on whether a sibilant or non-sibilant fricative is being described....
(the "z" in the English word "zoo") and the palatal approximant
Palatal approximant
The palatal approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is '...
(the "y" in the English word "yes"). Others are the central fricatives [θ ð s z ʃ ʒ ʂ ʐ ɕ ʑ ç ʝ x ɣ χ ʁ], the central approximants [ɹ ɻ j ɥ ɰ w ʍ], the trills [r ʀ], and the central flaps [ɾ ɽ].
The term does not apply to nasal consonants such as [m n ŋ], as there is no possibility of lateral nasal airflow. No language releases oral stops such as [p b t d k ɡ] to the side, though non-labial stops such as [t d k ɡ] may have a secondary lateral release
Lateral release (phonetics)
In phonetics, a lateral release is the release of a plosive consonant into a lateral consonant. Such sounds are transcribed in the IPA with a superscript ⟨l⟩, for example as . In English words such as middle in which, historically, the tongue made separate contacts with the alveolar ridge for the ...
. However, stop consonants are lumped in as central consonants. The labial fricatives [f v] often—perhaps usually—have lateral airflow, as the lip blocks the airflow in the center, but nonetheless they are not considered lateral consonants because no language makes a distinction between the two.