:Consonant:

Pronunciation GB: ˈkɒnsənənt, GA: ˈkɑnsənənt

As a phonological term, consonant is used to denote sounds which occur either singly or in clusters at the margins of syllables. As a phonetic term, consonant is equivalent to contoid. Often the phonetic and phonological criteria for the classification of a sound as a consonant coincide, but not always. For example, there are are languages where trills or fricatives (typical ‘phonetic consonants’) appear to function as syllable nuclei in a vowel-like manner.