fricative
UK[ˈfrɪkətɪv]US[ˈfrɪkətɪv]
adj
(of a speech sound) made by forcing air through a narrow channel so that it produces turbulence, for example /f/ and /ʃ/.
n
a consonant sound produced in this way, such as /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, or /ʒ/.
Morpheme Breakdown
fric
ative
fric
rub
ative
adjective-forming suffix
Etymology
the term 'fricative' is a modern linguistic coinage derived from the classical latin verb fricāre, meaning 'to rub'. the choice of this root is directly tied to the sound's production, where the airflow is forced through a narrow constriction, creating a turbulent, rubbing noise. the suffix '-ative', borrowed from latin via french, is used to form adjectives denoting a quality or tendency. thus, the word's literal construction, 'characterized by rubbing', perfectly captures the acoustic and articulatory essence of these speech sounds, which are defined by the friction generated as air passes through a narrow channel in the vocal tract.
Analysis
Structure: fric (rub) + ative (adjective-forming suffix)
fric (from latin fricāre, meaning 'to rub'); ative (a suffix of latin origin via french, used to form adjectives meaning 'of, relating to, or characterized by').
Examples
the sounds /f/ and /s/ are common voiceless fricatives in english.
she had difficulty pronouncing the voiced fricative /ʒ/ in 'measure'.
in phonetic transcription, the symbol [θ] represents the dental fricative sound.