semivowels
Between vowels, consonants
Semivowels are speech sounds that function as consonants but are produced like vowels—the airflow isn't fully blocked or narrowed enough to create friction.
In English, the sounds at the start of yes and wet are semivowels.
They glide quickly into the vowel that follows, which is why they're also called glides.
Move with effortless continuity
- liquidFree-flowing substance
- palatalConcerning mouth's roof
- lateralOf the side
- voicedExpressed in speech
consonant · rhotic · phoneme · syllabic · non-syllabic · allophone · resonant · sonority
Oral muscle for taste
- palateOral cavity ceiling
- lipsMouth's outer edges
- vocal tractSound-shaping airway passage
- bilabialMade with both lips
alveolar · velar · uvular · voiced · voicing · airflow · oral cavity · place
Spectral concentration in speech
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
- sonorityRichness of tone
- spectrogramFrequency-over-time display
- frequencyRate of recurrence
amplitude · voicing · periodicity · harmonic · waveform · continuous · smooth transition
glide
Move with effortless continuity
voiced · consonant · rhotic · phoneme · syllabic · non-syllabic · allophone · resonant · sonority · consonantal
yod
Tenth Hebrew letter
tongue
Oral muscle for taste
- palateOral cavity ceiling
- lipsMouth's outer edges
- vocal tractSound-shaping airway passage
bilabial · alveolar · velar · uvular · voiced · voicing · airflow · oral cavity · place · manner
formant
Spectral concentration in speech
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
- sonorityRichness of tone
- spectrogramFrequency-over-time display
frequency · amplitude · voicing · periodicity · harmonic · waveform · continuous · smooth transition
- phoneticsphonemes, phoneme, vocal folds, consonants, vibration
- French phoneticsliaison, elision, schwa, phonemes, silent letters
- Korean phoneticsconsonants, phoneme, phonemes, syllables, diphthongs
- Sanskrit soundsconsonants, varna, aspirates, nasals, sibilants
semivowelsstops
Ceases to continue
plosives · full stops · fricatives · consonants · sibilants