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Glite Dictionary
suction stop

suction stop

9.9
A consonant made by pulling air into the mouth to stop the sound briefly
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : consonante de succión
  • It takes practice to produce a suction stop correctly, especially for speakers of European languages.

Examples

  • The Zulu language features several suction stops that are unusual in English.

  • Phoneticians study suction stops to understand the diversity of human speech sounds.

  • The suction stop is a unique feature of some African languages.

  • Can you explain what a suction stop is?

  • Phoneticians study suction stops to understand their role in various African languages.

  • The suction stop is an important element in the phonetic systems of many Bantu languages.

  • In many African languages, the suction stop contributes to the complexity of vowel and consonant patterns.

Synonyms

click
vssuction stop
  • Specialized
9 9.9

A short sharp speech sound made by moving the tongue used in some languages

is the technical phonetics label for this inward air produced sound
stop
vssuction stop
  • Specialized
4 6.0

A consonant sound made by blocking the air and then releasing it

is defined by pulling air in rather than halting then releasing it outward
occlusive
vssuction stop
  • Specialized
8.8

A speech sound made by stopping the breath completely and then letting it out

uses air drawn into the mouth instead of a simple outward release
stop consonant
vssuction stop
  • Specialized
6.3

A sound you make when you block air and then let it out quickly

focuses on inward airflow rather than general closure then release

Surface Forms

suction stop singular
suction stops plural

Morphology

suction + stop

The meaning 'a stop consonant produced by drawing air inward' is directly and compositionally derivable from combining 'suction' (creating a vacuum) with 'stop' (a consonant formed by complete closure), so the sense is predictable from the parts. The noun–noun compounding follows standard English formation and would be understandable to an average B1 learner who knows both constituents, even though the referent is a technical phonetic concept.

Etymology

The noun suction stop comes from the simple picture of suction, meaning pulling air in, and stop, meaning a sound made by briefly stopping the air. Imagine sucking on a straw and then quickly closing your mouth; that quick inward stop is the idea, so suction stop means 'a consonant made by drawing air inward into the mouth'.