Continuant

A continuant is a speech sound that can be prolonged without significant distortion or change. These sounds, unlike stops (plosives), allow a continuous flow of air through the vocal tract. They encompass a broad category, including fricatives (e.g., /f/, /s/), approximants (e.g., /l/, /r/, /w/, /j/), and vowels. The prolonged nature of continuants allows for variations in intonation and stress, contributing significantly to the prosodic features of spoken language. Identifying continuants is crucial in phonetics, phonology, and speech therapy, where they help in understanding articulation, sound patterns, and speech disorders.

Continuant meaning with examples

• The phoneme /s/ in 'sun' is a continuant; you can produce it for a duration, allowing for varied emphasis. The continuous airflow is what categorizes it as such, unlike the immediate stop of a 'p' sound. This feature facilitates sound blending.
• In the word 'laugh,' the /f/ sound is a fricative and, therefore, a continuant. Its sustained production differs from the abrupt sounds of, say, the 't' at the end of the word 'cat'. This duration aspect makes all fricatives continuants.
• The vowel /ɑː/ in 'father' is a continuant; the open vocal tract allows prolonged voicing, influencing the rhythm of the sentence. Without a defined closure like a stop, continuants can flow much better.
• Practicing the production of continuant sounds is a key exercise in speech therapy, especially for children struggling with articulation. Fricatives and approximants can be taught separately because of their ability to be produced at length.
• The /l/ sound in 'love' is an approximant and classified as a continuant, meaning its prolonged articulation is possible. The continuant property distinguishes it from sounds like the /b/ sound in the same word.