Unreleased stop
Encyclopedia
An unreleased stop or unreleased plosive is a plosive consonant without an audible release burst. That is, the oral tract is blocked to pronounce the consonant, and there is no audible indication of when that occlusion ends. In the International Phonetic Alphabet
, unreleased consonants are denoted with an upper-right corner diacritic
031A above the consonant letter: [p̚ ], [t̚ ], [k̚ ].
, a plosive is unreleased (in most accents) before a homorganic nasal
, as in catnip [ˈkæt̚nɪp]. Although the first in a cluster of plosives, as in apt or doctor, is also said to be unreleased in the speech of most English speakers, what's actually occurring is cross-articulations from articulatory overlap in consonant clusters that make the release inaudible. This can lead to cross-articulations that seem very much like deletions or complete assimilations
. For example, hundred pounds may sound like [hʌndɹɛb pʰaundz] but X-ray and electropalatographic studies demonstrate that inaudible and possibly weakened contacts may still be made so that the second /d/ in hundred pounds does not entirely assimilate a labial place of articulation, rather the labial co-occurs with the alveolar one.
, Malay
, and Thai
, the stops are not released: mak [mak̚]. Unreleased final stops lack aspiration, neutralising the aspiration distinction between stop pairs such as p/b, k/g, t/d etc. in languages such as Cantonese. Some languages, such as Vietnamese
, which are reported to have unreleased final stops, turn out to have short voiceless nasal release
s instead.
Released plosives, on the other hand, are not normally indicated. If a final plosive is aspirated, the aspiration
symbol [ʰ] is sufficient to indicate the release. Otherwise, the 'unaspirated' diacritic from the Extended IPA may be employed for this: apt [æp̚t˭].
of Taiwan, such as Tsou
and Amis
, are unusual in that all obstruent
s are released, as in Tsou [ˈsip˭tɨ] "four" and [smuˈjuʔ˭tsu] "to pierce", or Amis [tsᵊtsaj] "one" and [sᵊpat˭] "four".
International Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
, unreleased consonants are denoted with an upper-right corner diacritic
Diacritic
A diacritic is a glyph added to a letter, or basic glyph. The term derives from the Greek διακριτικός . Diacritic is both an adjective and a noun, whereas diacritical is only an adjective. Some diacritical marks, such as the acute and grave are often called accents...
031A above the consonant letter: [p̚ ], [t̚ ], [k̚ ].
In English
In EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, a plosive is unreleased (in most accents) before a homorganic nasal
Nasal consonant
A nasal consonant is a type of consonant produced with a lowered velum in the mouth, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. Examples of nasal consonants in English are and , in words such as nose and mouth.- Definition :...
, as in catnip [ˈkæt̚nɪp]. Although the first in a cluster of plosives, as in apt or doctor, is also said to be unreleased in the speech of most English speakers, what's actually occurring is cross-articulations from articulatory overlap in consonant clusters that make the release inaudible. This can lead to cross-articulations that seem very much like deletions or complete assimilations
Assimilation (linguistics)
Assimilation is a common phonological process by which the sound of the ending of one word blends into the sound of the beginning of the following word. This occurs when the parts of the mouth and vocal cords start to form the beginning sounds of the next word before the last sound has been...
. For example, hundred pounds may sound like [hʌndɹɛb pʰaundz] but X-ray and electropalatographic studies demonstrate that inaudible and possibly weakened contacts may still be made so that the second /d/ in hundred pounds does not entirely assimilate a labial place of articulation, rather the labial co-occurs with the alveolar one.
The other languages
In most languages of East and Southeast Asia with final stops, such as Chinese (Cantonese, Taiwanese, etc.), KoreanKorean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, and Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
, the stops are not released: mak [mak̚]. Unreleased final stops lack aspiration, neutralising the aspiration distinction between stop pairs such as p/b, k/g, t/d etc. in languages such as Cantonese. Some languages, such as Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
, which are reported to have unreleased final stops, turn out to have short voiceless nasal release
Nasal release
In phonetics, a nasal release is the release of a plosive consonant into a nasal stop. Such sounds are transcribed in the IPA with superscript nasal letters, for example as . In English words such as sudden in which historically the tongue made separate contacts with the alveolar ridge for the /d/...
s instead.
Released plosives, on the other hand, are not normally indicated. If a final plosive is aspirated, the aspiration
Aspiration (phonetics)
In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. To feel or see the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, one can put a hand or a lit candle in front of one's mouth, and say pin ...
symbol [ʰ] is sufficient to indicate the release. Otherwise, the 'unaspirated' diacritic from the Extended IPA may be employed for this: apt [æp̚t˭].
The Formosan languages
The Formosan languagesFormosan languages
The Formosan languages are the languages of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Taiwanese aborigines currently comprise about 2% of the island's population. However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language, after centuries of language shift...
of Taiwan, such as Tsou
Tsou language
Tsou is a divergent Austronesian language spoken by the Tsou people of Taiwan.-Classification:Tsou has traditionally been considered part of a Tsouic branch of Austronesian...
and Amis
Amis language
Amis is the Formosan language of the Amis Ami, an indigenous tribal people living along the east coast of Taiwan . It is spoken from Hualien in the north to Taitung in the south, with another population near the southern end of the island, though the northern varieties are sometimes considered a...
, are unusual in that all obstruent
Obstruent
An obstruent is a consonant sound formed by obstructing airflow, causing increased air pressure in the vocal tract, such as [k], [d͡ʒ] and [f]. In phonetics, articulation may be divided into two large classes: obstruents and sonorants....
s are released, as in Tsou [ˈsip˭tɨ] "four" and [smuˈjuʔ˭tsu] "to pierce", or Amis [tsᵊtsaj] "one" and [sᵊpat˭] "four".