Stop Consonant - Articulation

Articulation

In the articulation of the stop, three phases can be distinguished:

• Catch: The airway closes so that no air can escape (hence the name stop).
• Hold or occlusion: The airway stays closed, causing a slight pressure difference to build up (hence the name occlusive).
• Release or burst: The closure is opened. The released airflow produces a sudden impulse causing an audible sound, or burst (hence the name plosive).

In many languages, such as Malay and Vietnamese, word-final stops lack a release burst, even when followed by a vowel, or have a nasal release. See no audible release.

Nasal occlusives are somewhat similar. In the catch and hold, airflow continues through the nose; in the release, there is no burst, and final nasals are typically unreleased across most languages.

In affricates, the catch and hold are those of a stop, but the release is that of a fricative. That is, affricates are stop–fricative contours.