Obstruent 🎁 Legit

An obstruent is a speech sound produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract, resulting in a complete or partial blockage that creates noise or friction. Unlike sonorants (such as vowels, nasals, or liquids) which allow air to flow relatively freely, obstruents are defined by their "tight" or "hissy" acoustic properties. Categories of Obstruents

Air is blocked completely and then released (e.g., /p, b, t, d, k, g/). obstruent

They produce a significant increase in air pressure inside the mouth compared to the surrounding air. Obstruent vs. Sonorant An obstruent is a speech sound produced by

Air is forced through a narrow passage, creating friction (e.g., /f, v, s, z, ʃ, h/). They produce a significant increase in air pressure

To understand what an obstruent is, it helps to see what it is . In linguistic terms, they are formally marked as [-sonorant] . Obstruents Airflow Restricted or blocked Relatively free Sound Quality Noisy, turbulent Resonant, musical Voicing Often voiceless Prototypically voiced Examples /p, f, tʃ/ /m, l, w, vowels/

💡 If a sound feels like it "squeezes" the air (like "ssss") it’s an obstruent; if it feels smooth (like "mmmm"), it’s a sonorant. Advanced Phonological Features