Beginning vs end phase in the articulation of a speech sound; the movement of the articulatory organs ( articulator) from or to their resting position. A distinction is drawn between strong and weak on- and off-glides. Most speech sounds show weak...

1 (also glide1) Principally a phonologically defined subclass of approximants. A semivowel functions phonologically like a consonant, that is, does not constitute the nucleus of the syllable, e.g. [j] in Eng. [‘jelευ] yellow and in Fr....

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Semivowels (also glides, more rarely: semiconsonants) are non-syllabic vowels that form diphthongs with syllabic vowels. They may be contrasted with approximants, which are similar to but closer than vowels or semivowels and behave as consonants....