Editing Approximant (section)

==Approximants versus fricatives==
In addition to less turbulence, approximants also differ from fricatives in the precision required to produce them.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Boersma|1997|p=12}}</ref> When emphasized, approximants may be slightly fricated (that is, the airstream may become slightly turbulent), which is reminiscent of fricatives. For example, the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] word ''ayuda'' ('help') features a palatal approximant that is pronounced as a fricative in emphatic speech.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Martínez-Celdrán|2004|p=204}}</ref> Spanish can be analyzed as having a meaningful distinction between fricative, approximant, and intermediate {{IPA|/ʝ ʝ˕ j/}}.<ref>Martínez-Celdrán, E. (2004) "Problems in the classification of approximants". ''Journal of the International Phonetic Association'', 34, 201–10</ref> However, such frication is generally slight and intermittent, unlike the strong turbulence of fricative consonants.

For places of articulation further back in the mouth, languages do not contrast voiced fricatives and approximants. Therefore, the IPA allows the symbols for the voiced fricatives to double for the approximants, with or without a lowering [[diacritic]].{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}

Occasionally, the glottal "fricatives" are called approximants, since {{IPA|[h]}} typically has no more frication than voiceless approximants, but they are often [[phonation]]s of the glottis without any accompanying manner or place of articulation.