What are consonants?

What are consonants?

Speech sounds are sound waves expelled from the oral and nasal cavities become. There are consonants special sounds, in which the airflow is blocked or restricted at certain points of articulation, resulting in audible turbulence. At Frictional sounds, like fricatives occur, the consonantal effect arises from the narrowing of the air flow.

When there are occlusion sounds, however, the air flow is completely interrupted for a short time, and when the blockage is suddenly released, audible turbulence occurs. The articulation of consonants can be voiceless or voiced, depending on whether the vocal cords are used or not. Vowels, on the other hand, differ from consonants primarily in their distinctness Formant structure in the sonagram

. Vowels generally have lower frequencies than consonants, which are in a higher frequency range.

Places of articulation

The place of articulation describes the Position at which the articulatory narrow point for consonant formation lies. The tongue is often the most important mobile articulatory organ and plays a crucial role in the formation of consonants. For example, this is created Sound "k" (as in "map") by the approach of the back of the tongue to the velum, which is why it is also called a dorsal sound. Here are some examples of places of articulation and their descriptions:

• Bilabial: The lower lip meets the upper lip (e.g. B., "p" and "b").
• Dental: The blade of the tongue meets the upper incisors (e.g. B., "t" and "d").


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• Alveolar: The tip of the tongue hits the dental dam (e.g. E.g., "n" and "s").
• Palatal: The back of the tongue meets the hard palate (e.g. E.g., "j" as in "yes").
• Velar: The back of the tongue meets the soft palate (e.g. E.g., "k" and "g").
• Glottal: The vocal cords themselves are the point of articulation (e.g. B., the glottic stroke, as in "note" between e and a).

Types of articulation

The type of articulation describes how the breathing air flows past the articulatory constriction and what type of constriction is formed. Here are some examples of articulation types:

• plosive: A complete oral closure is suddenly released, producing a short, explosive sound (e.g. B., "p" and "b").
• fricative: The air flow is narrowed so much that rubbing noises are generated (e.g. E.g., "f" and "s").
• Nasal: The airflow is redirected through the nasal cavity (e.g. E.g., "m" and "n").
• Approximant: The bottleneck is open enough to avoid any rubbing noise (e.g. E.g., "j" as in "yes").
• Vibrant: A rapid sequence of oral closures is released, resulting in a trembling effect (e.g. E.g., "r").

The inventory of consonants in German

German has a diverse inventory of consonants that are in different words occur. These are: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y and Z.

Consonants play an important role Role in the structure of syllables. Usually vowels have the core of a syllable because they have the highest sonority. Consonants, on the other hand, often occupy positions at the edge of the syllable structure and are usually not syllable carriers.

Overall, consonants are a fascinating facet of humanity Language. They enable us to to produce a variety of sounds and form complex words and sentences. The combination of different places and types of articulation creates the different consonants that we use in our languages.

The meaning of consonants extends beyond pure phonology and has Effects on the structure of syllables and words. The variety of consonants in German and other languages ​​gives our Communication richness of sound and possibilities of expression. They play an indispensable role in language and represent an exciting aspect of linguistics that allows us to express ourselves in a variety of ways