Glossary: morphology and phonology

Adjacent segments that are the same, such as the two consonants in the middle of Italian folla [ 'folla ] ‘crowd’.

A grammatical grouping of nouns in a language on the basis of semantics, phonological shape, arbitrary characteristics, or a combination thereof. For example, Spanish and French have two noun classes, or genders, referred to as masculine and feminine. The term gender is sometimes also applied to a pairing of a singular and plural noun class.

Morphological case that denotes possession, measurement, or source.

Abstract representation of the motor control plans for linguistically significant vocal tract actions.

An older term for median approximant.

The name of a place of articulation. The articulators are the vocal folds. [? h] are examples of glottal sounds.

The sound symbolised as [?]. It is produced by closing the vocal folds tightly, blocking airflow from the lungs.

Name of an airstream mechanism. Air in the pharynx is compressed or rarefied by, respectively, raising or lowering the glottis. Ejectives and implosives are produced with a glottalic airstream mechanism.

See ejective.

The opening in the larynx between the vocal folds, through which air passes.