Sonant (Noun)
Meaning
A speech sound accompanied by sound from the vocal cords.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The /m/ in "mat" is a sonant sound because it is a consonantal sound that involves the vibration of the vocal cords.
- In phonetics, the distinction between sonants and obstruents is based on the difference in the way the airflow is obstructed in the vocal tract.
- The sonants in a language can affect the way the language sounds and the way it is perceived by speakers of other languages.
- Sonants are typically voiced sounds, such as vowels and nasal consonants, which involve the vibration of the vocal cords.
- The sounds /l/ and /r/ are sonants in English, but they can also be realized as obstruents in certain phonetic contexts.