spirant etymology

Etymology:

The word "spirant" derives from the Latin verb "spirare," meaning "to breathe" or "to blow."

Meaning:

A spirant, in linguistics, refers to a consonant that is produced with a narrow opening in the vocal tract, causing audible friction or 'hissing' and 'buzzing' noises.

Origin:

The term "spirant" originated in the 19th century as a linguistic classification for consonants that produced a constricted airflow.

Phonological Characteristics:

• Airflow: Produced with a narrow constriction in the vocal tract, causing audible friction.
• Manner of Articulation: Consonant sounds produced by pushing air through the narrowed passageway.
• Place of Articulation: Can be produced at various points in the vocal tract, such as dental, alveolar, palatal, or velar.
• Examples: The English consonants "f," "s," "v," and "z" are all spirants.

Fricatives vs. Approximants:

Spirants can be further categorized as either fricatives or approximants. Fricatives produce a turbulent airflow with audible friction, while approximants produce less friction and are closer to vowels in their acoustic properties.

Distribution and Use:

Spirants occur in many languages around the world and play an important role in distinguishing words. In English, for example, the distinction between "face" and "vase" depends on the fricative vs. approximant quality of the final consonant.

spirant relate terms

• spirit

  Etymology The word spirit is derived from the Latin word spiritus which means breat

• conspire

  Etymology The word conspire comes from the Latin word conspirare which means to br

• expire

  Etymology From Latin expirāre to breathe out die frequentative of exspīrāre to

• inspire

  Etymology From Middle English insipyre from Anglo Norman French inspirer from Latin i

• ghost

  Etymology Old English gāst ultimately derived from Proto Germanic gaistaz Cognate wi

• spiritualism

  Etymology Spiritualism comes from the Latin words spiritus meaning breath or spiri

• soul

  Etymology The word soul traces its origins to the Proto Indo European root h₂enh₂

• strident

  Etymology Latin stridens present participle of stridēre to make a harsh noise Indo

• aspiration

  Etymology Late 16th century in the sense the act of aspiring from Latin aspira

• spire

  Etymology Old English spir meaning a slender stalk or blade Meaning A slender

• consonant

  Etymology The word consonant derives from the Latin word consonans which means sou

• scissors

  Etymology The word scissors is derived from the Old French word ciseor pair of scis

• ascetic

  Etymology The word ascetic derives from the Greek askētikos meaning pertaining to

• graffiti

  Etymology The word graffiti is derived from the Italian word graffito meaning a scr

• security

  Etymology The word security is derived from the Latin word securus meaning free fro

• illusion

  Etymology The word illusion derives from the Latin word illudere meaning to mock