BLC - #2 Types of Consonants
What is a “consonant”?
A consonant is some kind of sound that is created by partially or totally closing the vocal tract when the airstream passes. Consonants are grouped according to the place where this obstruction occurs, and the way it’s done.
What groups of consonants exist? (part 1)
The first distinction is between pulmonic and non-pulmonic consonants. Pulmonic consonants are the vast majority (especially in western languages); when pronouncing one of them, the airstream comes directly from the lungs (pulmōnēs in Latin, whence the name). On the contrary, the airstream used to pronounce a non-pulmonic consonant (such as a click consonant) comes from somewhere else or is completely absent. Let’s now focus on pulmonic consonants. These are divided in two main branches: the obstruents and the sonorants. An obstruent consonant blocks the airstream in some manner (creating an obstruction, that is), whereas there is no such obstruction in a sonorant. Any (pulmonic) obstruent consonant pertains to one of these groups: plosive, fricative, lateral fricative, affricate. Any other consonant (nasal, lateral approximant, lateral trill, trill, flap/tap, approximant) is a sonorant.