Continuant
For the mathematical term, see continuant (mathematics).
A continuant is a speech sound produced with an incomplete closure of the oral vocal tract. Among consonants, there are two broad categories of continuants: fricatives and approximants.[1] Approximants are sometimes called "frictionless continuants".[2]
Compare sonorant (resonant), which includes approximants and nasals but not fricatives. Both terms technically include vowels, but are frequently restricted to the context of consonants.
See also
- List of phonetics topics
- Obstruent
- Schwa
- Spectromorphology
Source
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