continuant
[/kənˈtɪnjuənt/]
noun; adjectivemasculine (noun form in Portuguese)pl: continuants
continuante; consoante continuante
1. In phonetics and linguistics, a consonant sound produced by narrowing the vocal tract without completely blocking airflow, allowing air to pass continuously through the mouth.
The sounds /f/, /v/, /s/, and /z/ are continuants because air flows continuously through the mouth during their production.
Os sons /f/, /v/, /s/ e /z/ são continuantes porque o ar flui continuamente pela boca durante sua produção.
2. Characterized by or constituting continuous flow or uninterrupted sound production in speech.
Continuant consonants contrast with stops, which completely block the airflow.
As consoantes continuantes contrastam com as oclusivas, que bloqueiam completamente o fluxo de ar.
The term 'continuant' is primarily used in linguistic and phonetic academic contexts in both Brazil and the USA. It is not commonly used in everyday speech and is specific to the field of linguistics, phonology, and speech pathology. In Brazil, this term appears in academic literature on linguistics (linguística) and phonetics (fonética), particularly in university courses on these subjects. The concept is important for language teaching and speech analysis.
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