Voiceless alveolar affricate

Class of consonantal sounds

A voiceless alveolar affricate is a type of affricate consonant pronounced with the tip or blade of the tongue against the alveolar ridge just behind the teeth. This refers to a class of sounds, not a single sound. There are several types with significant perceptual differences:The voiceless alveolar sibilant affricate is the most common type, similar to the ts in English cats. The voiceless alveolar non-sibilant affricate or, using the alveolar diacritic from the Extended IPA, is somewhat similar to the th in some pronunciations of English eighth. It is found as a regional realization of the sequence in some Sicilian dialects of Standard Italian. The voiceless alveolar lateral affricate is found in certain languages, such as Cherokee, Mexican Spanish, and Nahuatl. The voiceless alveolar retracted sibilant affricate, also called apico-alveolar or grave, has a weak hushing sound reminiscent of retroflex affricates. One language in which it is found is Basque, where it contrasts with a more conventional non-retracted laminal alveolar affricate.

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