In
phonetics
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...
, a vibrant is a
class
Class or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differently ...
of consonant including
taps and
trills (a trill is "sometimes referred to as a vibrant consonant"
[Nicolosi, Lucille; Harryman, Elizabeth; Kresheck, Janet; eds. (2004). ''Terminology of Communication Disorders'', p.84. Lippincott Williams & Wilkin. .]).
Spanish has two vibrants, and .
The term is sometimes used when it is not clear whether the
rhotic (''r''-sound) in a language is a tap or a trill.
See also
*
Lateral consonant
A lateral is a consonant in which the airstream proceeds along one or both of the sides of the tongue, but it is blocked by the tongue from going through the middle of the mouth. An example of a lateral consonant is the English ''L'', as in ''Larr ...
*
Liquid consonant
In phonetics, liquids are a class of consonants consisting of voiced lateral approximants like together with rhotics like .
Etymology
The grammarian Dionysius Thrax used the Ancient Greek word (, ) to describe the sonorant consonants () of cl ...
References
Sonorant consonants
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