A fricative is formed by a constriction in the vocal tract by the articulators, such as the tongue or the lips. However, unlike stops, the occlusion (blockage) in the vocal tract is not complete. Some of the air is allowed to come through a very narrow opening. This air becomes turbulent, because of the friction between the airflow and the narrow passage.
Fricatives happen in two ways. One way is simply for the air to flow through a narrow opening, like in the sound 
. Another ways is for the air to be sped up through a narrow passage and then forced across another area, like the teeth, which is the way the sound 
is formed. In the following diagram, the dots represent moving air particles. The air behind the occlusion is relatively slow, but the air that is forced between the tongue and the roof of the mouth is much faster and more turbulent.
Watch the airflow for the fricative 
Examples of fricatives in English are , 
, , 
, , 
.
In the next section, you will be introduced to the affricate manner of articulation.
© 2001 The Language Samples Project