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Glite Dictionary
aspirated

aspirated

6.7
A speech sound that you make with a strong burst of air, for example the t in 'top'
  • adjective
  • /ˈæspəˌreɪtɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : aspirado
  • So if you give children an aspirated stop and an unaspirated stop, they can distinguish those.

Examples

  • The teacher explained that the aspirated sound in 'kite' is different from the unaspirated sound in 'skate'.

  • Thus, all normal English speakers are systematically incapable of hearing or producing at will the difference between aspirated and unaspirated voiceless sounds.

    Academic text (2006)

  • In English, the sound aspirated is marked by a strong burst of breath when pronouncing the letter 'p' in the word 'pat'.

  • When learning pronunciation, it's important to understand the concept of an aspirated consonant, as it greatly affects clarity in speech.

How Aspirated

aspirated
  • Specialized
6.7
unaspirated
  • Specialized
8.2

Surface Forms

aspirated positive

Morphology

aspirated = aspirate (transparent) = aspirate + ed

A straightforward adjectival/participial formation from the verb 'aspirate' with the regular suffix '-ed', so the meaning is predictable.

Etymology

Aspirated comes from the Latin root spirare, which means 'to breathe', and is the same root you see in inspire. So an aspirated sound is one you make with a clear burst of breath after a consonant, like the 't' in 'top'.