Affricate facts for kids
Affricates are special sounds we make when we talk. They are a mix of two different types of sounds: a "stop" sound and a "fricative" sound, made very quickly one after the other. Think of the "ch" sound in "cheese" or the "j" sound in "jump." These are both affricates.
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What are Affricates?
When you make an affricate sound, you first completely block the air coming out of your mouth, just like when you say a 't' or 'd' sound. This is called a stop sound. Right after that, you slowly release the air through a narrow opening, creating a hissing or buzzing sound, like when you say 'sh' or 's'. This is called a fricative sound. The two parts happen so fast that they sound like one single sound.
For example, the 'ch' sound in English (like in "chew") starts with a 't' sound and immediately blends into an 'sh' sound. The 'j' sound (like in "jump") starts with a 'd' sound and blends into a 'zh' sound (like the 's' in "measure").
Voiced and Voiceless Affricates
Just like other sounds, affricates can be either voiced or voiceless.
- A voiced sound means your vocal cords vibrate when you make the sound. You can feel this if you put your hand on your throat.
- A voiceless sound means your vocal cords do not vibrate.
In English, we have both types of affricates:
- The 'ch' sound (written as /t͡ʃ/ in the IPA) is voiceless.
- The 'j' sound (written as /d͡ʒ/ in the IPA) is voiced.
| Voicing | IPA Symbol | Often written as... | Sample word | Word in IPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voiceless | t͡ʃ | ch | chew | /t͡ʃu/ |
| Voiced | d͡ʒ | j | Jew | /d͡ʒu/ |
Affricates in Mandarin Chinese
In Mandarin Chinese, affricates are different because they don't have voiced versions. Instead, they are told apart by something called aspiration, which means how much breath you release with the sound.
- Aspirated affricates are "breathy" sounds. You release a puff of air when you say them.
- Unaspirated affricates are "non-breathy" sounds. You don't release a puff of air.
For example, the 'q' sound in Pinyin (like in "qiáo" for bridge) is an aspirated affricate, while the 'j' sound (like in "jiào" for to call) is an unaspirated affricate.
| Aspiration | Pinyin Spelling | IPA Symbol | Sample Chinese word | Word meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspirated | ch- | /ʈ͡ʂʰ/ | 炒 chǎo | to fry |
| c- | /t͡sʰ/ | 草 cǎo | grass / straw | |
| q- | /t͡ɕʰ/ | 桥 qiáo | bridge | |
| Unaspirated | zh- | /ʈ͡ʂ/ | 找 zhǎo | to look for / to seek |
| z- | /t͡s/ | 早 zǎo | morning | |
| j- | /t͡ɕ/ | 叫 jiào | to call (oneself) |
See also
In Spanish: Consonante africada para niños
