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Glite Dictionary
💨 A flowing sound 💨 Letting air flow
continuant

continuant

8.6
A sound made by forcing air through a narrow opening so the sound keeps going, for example s and f
  • adjective
  • /kənˈtɪn.jənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : continuante
  • In phonetics, continuant sounds are crucial for understanding how air moves through the vocal tract.

Examples

  • The sounds 's' and 'f' are examples of continuant phonemes because air flows continuously through the mouth.

  • Based on the findings of several studies (e.g., Chafouleas et al., 2001; McBride-Chang, 1995), it was concluded that a variety of continuant and stop phonemes and consonant and vowel clusters should be included.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Linguists often classify speech sounds as either stops or continuant, depending on how airflow is managed.

Synonyms

fricative
vscontinuant
  • Specialized
1 8.0

Made when air passes through a small gap, like f or s

emphasizes continuous airflow through a constriction rather than only friction
strident
vscontinuant
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A speech sound you make by forcing air through a narrow gap like s or f

focuses on continuous airflow without implying the extra hissing or buzzing quality
spirant
vscontinuant
  • Specialized
9.9

Made by pushing air through a small opening in the mouth to make sounds like f or s

names the same continuous airflow sound using different technical terminology

Compounds

continuant consonant
  • Specialized
7.4

A speech sound made by narrowing the mouth so air keeps flowing

How Continuous

fricative
  • Specialized
1 8.0
continuant
  • Specialized
8.6
approximant
  • Specialized
8.4
affricate
  • Specialized
9.9
stop
  • Specialized
4 6.0

Surface Forms

continuant positive

Morphology

continuant = continue (semi-transparent) = continu + ant

Regular derivation from 'continue' by adding '-ant' to form an adjectival sense 'continuing', but the meaning is a technical phonetics descriptor and the orthographic alternation may not be obvious to learners.

Etymology

The word continuant is related to continue and continuous, words that mean 'keep going' or 'without stopping'. That is why a continuant sound is made with continuous airflow through the mouth, like 's', 'f', or 'th'.