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implosion

implosion

4 8.4
The brief moment when the air is blocked to make a stop sound like p or t
  • noun
  • /ɪmˈploʊʒən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : implosión
  • In phonetics, an implosion occurs when the airflow is temporarily blocked before producing a consonant.
  • implosion principle
  • radiation implosion

Examples

  • The teacher demonstrated the concept of implosion by explaining the process of blocking airflow when pronouncing certain sounds.

  • During the articulation of the sound, there was a brief implosion of airflow in the vocal tract.

  • Now, can anyone tell us the principle behind the implosion device?

  • So, in spring 1946, the principle of radiation implosion was born.

    Academic text (1996)
  • This discovery could be called the ionization implosion principle.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Households that saw 40% of their wealth wiped out because of the housing implosion are paying off debt and borrowing and spending less.

    Blog text (28)
  • Nearly all the components of a nuclear weapon, including the implosion of its plutonium core, can be tested absent a nuclear explosion.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Teller modified Ulam's idea to use radiation implosion.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The United States has been retreating from jobs' continent since the implosion of the Soviet Union set America free to pursue its own interests in Africa, and it found it did not have any.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Toledo's election followed more than a decade of rule by Alberto Fujimori, another political neophyte whose surprise election in 1990 coincided with the implosion of Peru's main political parties.

    Academic text (2004)

Compounds

implosion therapy
  • Specialized
9.1

A treatment where a person faces intense fears in a safe place to reduce anxiety

Surface Forms

implosion singular
implosions plural

Morphology

implosion = implode (semi-transparent) = plode + sion

The structure is a noun formed from 'implode' with '-sion' and the elements ('inward' + 'burst') map to the phonetic concept, but the sense is a technical linguistic term that may not be obvious to general learners.

Etymology

Implosion in speech comes from the prefix in- 'in' and is like the word explode, which means 'burst out', so implosion is like a 'burst in'. In phonetics, this is a helpful image: an implosion is when the airflow is briefly pulled inward or blocked inside the mouth during a stop consonant.