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Glite Dictionary
post-alveolar consonant

post-alveolar consonant

8.6
A consonant sound made with the tongue just behind the top front teeth, like the 'sh' in shoe
  • noun
  • /ˌpoʊstˌælviˈoʊlər ˈkɒnsənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : consonante postalveolar
  • The teacher explained that /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ are both post-alveolar consonants.

Examples

  • In English, post-alveolar consonants include /ʃ/ and /ʒ/.

  • The sound /ʃ/ is a post-alveolar consonant.

  • In English, the 'sh' sound in 'shoe' is a classic example of a post-alveolar consonant.

  • Language students often practice distinguishing post-alveolar consonants from other types during pronunciation exercises.

  • In English, the 'sh' sound in 'shoe' is a classic example of a post-alveolar consonant.

  • Language students often practice distinguishing post-alveolar consonants from other types during pronunciation exercises.

  • The teacher explained that /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ are both post-alveolar consonants.

Synonyms

postalveolar consonant
vspost-alveolar consonant
  • Specialized
9.2

A consonant made with the tongue near the ridge just behind the teeth

is the same sound but uses a different written form
post-alveolar
vspost-alveolar consonant
  • Specialized
9.5

A speech sound made with the tongue just behind the upper front teeth, like the sh in 'shoe'

refers specifically to consonant sounds rather than any speech sound
postalveolar
vspost-alveolar consonant
  • Specialized
9.9

A sound made with the tongue near the part of the mouth just behind the top front teeth

is limited to consonant sounds, not all speech sounds

Surface Forms

post-alveolar consonant singular
post-alveolar consonants plural

Morphology

post-alveolar + consonant

The term is a straightforward composition: 'post-alveolar' specifies a place of articulation (just behind the alveolar ridge) and 'consonant' specifies the type of sound, so the combined meaning is directly derivable from its parts. Although the vocabulary is technical, if a learner knows both constituents the relation is transparent and predictable across languages with similar phonetic terminology.

Etymology

Post-alveolar consonant comes from where the sound is made: post means just 'behind' and the alveolar ridge is the small bump right behind your front teeth. So a post-alveolar consonant is a 'consonant' made with the tongue just behind that bump, as in the 'sh' sound of 'shoe'.