continuant consonant

[/kənˈtɪn.ju.ənt ˈkɒn.sə.nənt/]
nounpl: continuant consonants
consoante contínua
1. A consonant sound that can be prolonged or continued without interruption of airflow, such as fricatives, affricates, nasals, liquids, and glides
The sounds /f/, /v/, /z/, and /m/ are continuant consonants because air can flow continuously through them.
Os sons /f/, /v/, /z/ e /m/ são consoantes contínuas porque o ar pode fluir continuamente através delas.
2. In phonetics, a consonant characterized by the absence of a complete blockage of the airstream in the vocal tract
Unlike plosives, continuant consonants allow for sustained vocalization.
Diferentemente das oclusivas, as consoantes contínuas permitem vocalização sustentada.
This is a specialized linguistic and phonetic term used primarily in academic settings, linguistics courses, and speech pathology contexts in both Brazil and Portugal. It is not commonly used in everyday conversation but is essential in linguistics education and professional speech analysis.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
fricative consonantnon-obstruent consonantsonorant consonantapproximant consonant
Antonyms / Antônimos
stop consonantplosive consonantocclusive consonant

Regional Variations

General Brazilian Portuguese
consoante contínua
Standard term used in phonetics and linguistics textbooks
Portugal
consoante contínua
Same terminology as Brazilian Portuguese in academic contexts
Academic/International
consoante fricativa (when referring specifically to fricatives)
More specific term sometimes used interchangeably

Related Words

consonantfricativeaffricatenasal consonantliquid consonantglidearticulatory phoneticsmanner of articulation
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