Plosive

Consonant in which the vocal tract is blocked so that all airflow ceases In phonetics, a plosive, also known as an occlusive or simply a stop, is a consonant in which airflow is blocked entirely at some point in the vocal tract, forming a complete stricture. Plosives may be pulmonic or glottalic egressive. The occlusion may be made with the tongue tip or blade (such as [t, d]), tongue body (such as [k, ɡ]), lips (such as [p, b]), or glottis (such as [ʔ]). Plosives contrast with other speech sounds including nasals, where the vocal tract is blocked but airflow continues through the nose, and with fricatives, where partial occlusion impedes but does not block airflow in the vocal tract. Terminology The terms stop, occlusive, and plosive are often used interchangeably. Linguists who distinguish them may not agree on the distinction being made. "Stop" refers to the stopping of the airflow, "occlusive" to the articulation which occludes (blocks) the vocal tract, and "plosive" to the plosion (release burst) of the consonant. Some object to the use of "plosive" for inaudibly released stops, which may then instead be called "applosives". The International Phonetic Association and the Int