What term describes a sound produced by forcing air through a narrow channel formed by the lips, teeth, or tongue, as in /θ/?

What term describes a sound produced by forcing air through a narrow channel formed by the lips, teeth, or tongue, as in /θ/?

• A. Fricative
• B. Plosive
• C. Nasal
• D. Affricate

Answer: (A)

A fricative is a sound made by forcing air through a narrow constriction, creating turbulence in the airstream and producing a continuous, noisy sound. In the example /θ/, the air flows between the tongue and the teeth (an interdental place of articulation), forming a dental fricative. This sound is typically voiceless, meaning the vocal cords don’t vibrate during its production.

Think of other manners to see the distinction: a plosive involves a complete closure and a burst of air when it’s released (like p or t), a nasal lets air escape through the nasal cavity because the velum is lowered, and an affricate begins as a stop and ends as a fricative (a brief combination of a stop followed by friction). Fricatives, including the one in /θ/, are all about that sustained, friction-filled flow through a narrow channel.