Practice question · Select all that apply
Which are true of the sibilants of English?
Hints
- Three describe the sibilants; one describes a different pair.
- The rare pair is the dental one.
Show the answer
- A. They carry the plural, possessive and third-person endings
- C. They have energy concentrated at high frequencies
- D. They are louder than the other fricatives
Why
The rarity belongs to the dental fricatives, not the sibilants, /s/ is one of the most widespread consonants in the world. The connection between loudness and grammatical function in the first option is worth pausing on: an ending that must survive being unstressed and rushed is better carried by a loud sound.
Practise English Consonants I: Plosives and Fricatives
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