Editing Aspirated consonant (section)

==Phonetics==
{{listen
| type         = speech
| header       = Aspiration of final stops and affricates in Eastern Armenian
| filename     = Hy-EA-տաք-տակ.ogg
| title        = Final aspirated and voiceless velar stops
| description  = {{wikt-lang|hy|տաք}}, {{wikt-lang|hy|տակ}} "hot, under"<br>''{{transliteration|hy|ISO|tak’ tak}}'' {{IPA|hy|tɑkʰ tɑk|}}
| filename2    = Hy-ea-այծ-այց.ogg
| title2       = Final voiceless and aspirated alveolar affricates
| description2 =  {{wikt-lang|hy|այծ}}, {{wikt-lang|hy|այց}} "goat, visit"<br>''{{transliteration|hy|ISO|ayc ayc’}}'' {{IPA|hy|ɑjt͡s ɑjt͡sʰ|}}
| filename3    = Hy-EA-գնացք.ogg
| title3       = Final aspirated affricate–stop cluster
| description3 = {{wikt-lang|hy|գնացք}} "train"<br>''{{transliteration|hy|ISO|gnac’k’}}'' {{IPA|hy|ɡəˈnɑt͡sʰkʰ|}}
| filename4    = Hy-EA-աղոթք.ogg
| title4       = Final aspirated stop–stop cluster
| description4 = {{wikt-lang|hy|աղոթք}} "prayer"<br>''{{transliteration|hy|ISO|aġot’k’}}'' {{IPA|hy|ɑˈʁɔtʰkʰ|}}
}}
[[Voicelessness|Voiceless consonants]] are produced with the [[vocal folds]] open (spread) and not vibrating, and voiced consonants are produced when the vocal folds are fractionally closed and vibrating ([[modal voice]]). Voiceless aspiration occurs when the vocal folds remain open after a consonant is released. An easy way to measure this is by noting the consonant's [[voice onset time]], as the voicing of a following vowel cannot begin until the vocal folds close.

In some languages, such as [[Navajo phonology|Navajo]], aspiration of stops tends to be phonetically realised as voiceless velar airflow; aspiration of affricates is realised as an extended length of the frication.

Aspirated consonants are not always followed by vowels or other voiced sounds. For example, in [[Eastern Armenian]], aspiration is contrastive even word-finally, and aspirated consonants occur in [[consonant cluster]]s. In [[Wahgi language|Wahgi]], consonants are aspirated only when they are in final position.

===Degree===
The degree of aspiration varies: the voice onset time of aspirated stops is longer or shorter depending on the language or the place of articulation.

Armenian and [[Cantonese]] have aspiration that lasts about as long as English aspirated stops, in addition to unaspirated stops. Korean has lightly aspirated stops that fall between the Armenian and Cantonese unaspirated and aspirated stops as well as strongly-aspirated stops whose aspiration lasts longer than that of Armenian or Cantonese. (See [[voice onset time]].)

Aspiration varies with [[place of articulation]]. The Spanish voiceless stops {{IPA|/p t k/}} have voice onset times (VOTs) of about 5, 10, and 30 milliseconds, and English aspirated {{IPA|/p t k/}} have VOTs of about 60, 70, and 80 ms. Voice onset time in Korean has been measured at 20, 25, and 50 ms for {{IPA|/p t k/}} and 90, 95, and 125 for {{IPA|/pʰ tʰ kʰ/}}.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lisker and Abramson|title=A cross-language Study of Voicing in Initial Stops|journal=Word|date=1964|volume=20|pages=384–422|doi=10.1080/00437956.1964.11659830|doi-access=}}</ref>

===Doubling===
{{listen
| type         = speech
| help         = no
| header       = Gemination of aspirated consonants in Eastern Armenian
| filename     = Hy-EA-Մեքքա.ogg
| title        = Double aspirated ''k’k’''
| description  = {{wikt-lang|hy|Մեքքա}} ''{{transliteration|hy|ISO|Mek’k’a}}'' "[[Mecca]]":<br>{{IPA|/ˈmekʰkʰa/}} {{IPA|hy|ˈmekːʰa|}}
| filename2    = Hy-EA-կեցցե.ogg
| title2       = Double aspirated ''c’c’''
| description2 ={{wikt-lang|hy|կեցցե}} ''{{transliteration|hy|ISO|kets’ts’e}}'' "long live!":<br>{{IPA|/kʲetsʰˈtsʰe/}} {{IPA|hy|kʲeˈtːsʰe|}}}}
When aspirated consonants are doubled or [[gemination|geminated]], the stop is held longer and then has an aspirated release. An aspirated affricate consists of a stop, fricative, and aspirated release. A doubled aspirated affricate has a longer hold in the stop portion and then has a release consisting of the fricative and aspiration.

===Preaspiration===
[[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] and [[Faroese language|Faroese]] have consonants with [[preaspiration]] {{IPA|[ʰp ʰt ʰk]}}, and some scholars{{who|date=April 2017}} interpret them as consonant clusters as well. In Icelandic, preaspirated stops [[Icelandic phonology#Aspiration and length contrasts (medial and final)|contrast with double stops and single stops]]:
{| class="wikitable"
! Word
! IPA
! Meaning
|-
|''{{lang|is|kapp}}''
|{{IPA|[kʰɑʰp]}} or {{IPA|[kʰɑhp]}}
|zeal
|-
|''{{lang|is|gabb}}''
|{{IPA|[kɑpp]}}
|hoax
|-
|''{{lang|is|gap}}''
|{{IPA|[kɑːp]}}
|opening
|}
Preaspiration is also a feature of [[Scottish Gaelic]]:
{| class="wikitable"
! Word
! IPA
! Meaning
|-
|''{{lang|gd|cat}}''
|{{IPA|[kʰɑʰt]}}
|cat
|}
Preaspirated stops also occur in most [[Sami languages]]. For example, in [[Northern Sami]], the unvoiced stop and affricate phonemes {{IPA|/p/}}, {{IPA|/t/}}, {{IPA|/ts/}}, {{IPA|/tʃ/}}, {{IPA|/k/}} are pronounced preaspirated ({{IPA|[ʰp]}}, {{IPA|[ʰt]}} {{IPA|[ʰts]}}, {{IPA|[ʰtʃ]}}, {{IPA|[ʰk]}}) in medial or final position.

===Fricatives and sonorants===
Although most aspirated obstruents in the world's languages are stops and affricates, [[aspirated fricative]]s such as {{IPA|[sʰ]}}, {{IPA|[ɸʷʰ]}} and {{IPA|[ɕʰ]}} have been documented in [[Korean language|Korean]] and [[Xuanzhou Wu]], and {{IPA|[xʰ]}} has been described for Spanish,<ref>Schwegler, Kempff & Ameal-Guerra (2010) ''Fonética y fonología españolas.'' John Wiley, 4th ed.</ref> though these are allophones of other phonemes. Similarly, aspirated fricatives and even aspirated nasals, approximants, and trills occur in a few [[Tibeto-Burman languages]], some [[Oto-Manguean languages]], the [[Hmongic languages|Hmongic]] language [[Hmu language|Hmu]], the [[Siouan languages|Siouan]] language [[Ofo language|Ofo]], and the [[Chumashan languages|Chumashan]] languages [[Barbareño language|Barbareño]] and [[Ventureño language|Ventureño]]. Some languages, such as [[Choni language|Choni Tibetan]], have as many as four contrastive aspirated fricatives {{IPA|[sʰ]}} {{IPA|[ɕʰ]}}, {{IPA|[ʂʰ]}} and {{IPA|[xʰ]}}.<ref>[[Guillaume Jacques]] 2011. A panchronic study of aspirated fricatives, with new evidence from Pumi, ''Lingua'' 121.9:1518–1538 [https://www.academia.edu/968778/A_panchronic_study_of_aspirated_fricatives_with_new_evidence_from_Pumi]</ref>

==={{anchor|Voiced stop}}Voiced consonants with voiceless aspiration===
True aspirated voiced consonants, as opposed to [[murmured]] (breathy-voice) consonants such as the {{IPA|[bʱ], [dʱ], [ɡʱ]}} that are common among the [[languages of India]], are extremely rare. They have been documented in [[Kelabit language|Kelabit]].<ref>[[Robert Blust]], 2006, "The Origin of the Kelabit Voiced Aspirates: A Historical Hypothesis Revisited", ''Oceanic Linguistics'' 45:311</ref>