Approximant

Common card · No. 241564

Approximants are speech sounds that involve the articulators approaching each other but not narrowly enough, nor with enough articulatory precision, to create turbulent airflow. Therefore, approximants fall between fricatives, which have a degree of constriction tight enough to produce a turbulent airstream, and vowels, which have no constriction. This class includes vowel-like sounds such as [j] and [w] (as in yes and west, respectively), as well as liquids such as [l] and [ɹ] (as in less and rest, respectively), among other consonants with relatively low degrees of stricture. They are a subclass of sonorants and continuants.

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