Affricative

C2 16+

Pronunciation: /əˈfrɪkətɪv/

Definitions of affricative

noun a speech sound that begins like a stop (for example, [t]) but releases like a fricative (for example, [s])

Example Sentences

A1 An affricative is a type of consonant sound.

A2 In English, the 'ch' sound in 'chair' is an example of an affricative.

B1 Learners at this level should be able to distinguish affricatives from other consonant sounds.

B2 The affricative 'ts' is commonly found in the Russian language.

C1 Phonologists study the articulation of affricatives in various languages.

C2 Native speakers can easily produce affricatives without much effort.

Examples of affricative in a Sentence

formal The phoneme /dʒ/ is an affricative sound in English.

informal I find it difficult to pronounce affricative sounds correctly.

slang Some people struggle with affricatives, but with practice, you can improve.

figurative Her words had a sharp affricative tone, cutting through the silence.

Grammatical Forms of affricative

past tense

affricated

plural

affricatives

comparative

more affricative

superlative

most affricative

present tense

affricates

future tense

will affricate

perfect tense

have affricated

continuous tense

is affricating

singular

affricative

positive degree

affricative

infinitive

to affricate

gerund

affricating

participle

affricated

Origin and Evolution of affricative

First Known Use: 1601 year
Language of Origin: Latin
Story behind the word: The word 'affricative' originated from the Latin word 'affricare' meaning 'to rub against'.
Evolution of the word: Originally used in linguistics to describe a type of speech sound that begins as a stop consonant and releases as a fricative, the term 'affricative' has evolved to also refer to a specific type of consonant sound in phonetics.