Obstruent | Free Access

To understand what an obstruent is, it helps to see what it is . In linguistic terms, they are formally marked as [-sonorant] . Obstruents Airflow Restricted or blocked Relatively free Sound Quality Noisy, turbulent Resonant, musical Voicing Often voiceless Prototypically voiced Examples /p, f, tʃ/ /m, l, w, vowels/

Air is forced through a narrow passage, creating friction (e.g., /f, v, s, z, ʃ, h/). obstruent

In phonetics, obstruents are divided into three main "flavors" based on how the air is managed: To understand what an obstruent is, it helps

A combination that begins like a stop and releases into a fricative (e.g., /tʃ/ as in "church," /dʒ/ as in "judge"). Key Characteristics To understand what an obstruent is