Letters can be divided into consonants and vowels.
Consonant , which comes from the Latin word consŏnans , is an adjective that is used to indicate a voice compared to a different one that has the same consonance. For phonetics , a consonant is the sound that, at the time of being pronounced, produces an interruption of the flow of air that is expired or generates a narrowing of the vocal canal that causes the sound to come out with frication.
What are consonant letters
The notion of consonant, on the other hand, is usually used to name the letter consonant , which is the sign that allows us to graphically represent a sound and an articulation of a consonant nature. The letters of the Latin alphabet can be divided into vowels (A, E, I, O, U) and consonants (B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, Ñ, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z).
For example: "The teacher started teaching us consonants" , "Sometimes I confuse the spelling rules linked to certain consonants, such as MB or NV" , "Children first learn to recognize vowels and then consonants" .
Certain particular characteristics allow consonants to be classified from a phonetic point of view, such as the mode of phonation (according to how the vocal folds vibrate), the mode of articulation (how the passage of air is obstructed), the point of articulation (where it has location of said obstruction) and length (how long the pronunciation lasts).
Obstruents and sonants
We find, therefore, the fact that consonants can be classified into two large groups: obstruents, in which when pronounced there is an obstruction of the air outlet, and sonants, which are those in which there is no obstruction. there is obstruction.
In turn, obstruents can be classified into basically three types. Firstly there would be the plosive or explosive consonants, the affricates and the fricatives. Examples of these three modalities would be p, ch, and f respectively.
Each consonant is pronounced in a particular way.
In the case of sonant consonants we can also determine that they have their own classification. In this way we find three clearly defined typologies:
Liquids. They are the consonants that are known to be the most similar in the alphabet to vowels. They have two modalities: lateral, when pronounced the air escapes from one or both sides of the tongue, and vibrating.
Nasal. They are called that because when they are pronounced the air passes through the root as a consequence of the fact that an occlusion of the mouth occurs in part. Two consonants that are a perfect example of this typology are m and n.
approximants. These are very similar to fricative consonants, whose main difference is the fact that they are pronounced without as much obstruction as those.
Pulmonary consonants, based on the air that the lungs propel when pronouncing them, is another of the most frequent typologies used to classify consonants in general.
Other uses of the idea of consonant
In the field of music , consonant is that which creates a consonance . This concept is used to name the particularity of sounds that, when heard simultaneously, cause a pleasant effect.
Consonant, finally, is what has a link of similarity or conformity with something else with which it has correlation and correspondence.