Affrication for Dummies

Affrication means changing a sound so that it becomes a combination of a stop sound and a fricative sound. Let me break it down for you in a way that makes it easy to understand.

Imagine you are standing on a bridge and there's a river flowing beneath it. Suddenly, two streams of water mix together and create a new, different kind of flow. In the same way, when we talk about affrication, it's like two sounds coming together to create a new sound.

Now, let's talk about sounds. When we speak, our mouth makes different shapes to produce different sounds. For example, when we say the letter 'b,' our mouth briefly stops the airflow before releasing it, creating a buzzing sound. This is called a stop sound.

On the other hand, when we make a sound like 's,' our mouth lets the airflow freely pass through a small gap between our tongue and our upper teeth, creating a hissing sound. This is called a fricative sound.

So, affrication happens when we blend these two types of sounds together. It's like combining the stop sound with the fricative sound, making them one sound that has elements of both. It's like mixing two colors together and creating a brand-new shade.

Now, let's think about some examples. Have you ever heard the sound 'ch' in words like 'church' or 'cheese'? That sound 'ch' is an example of affrication. When you say 'ch,' your mouth first makes the stop sound 't,' and then it quickly transitions into the fricative sound 'sh.'

Another example is the sound 'j' in words like 'judge' or 'jam.' That sound 'j' is also an example of affrication. When you say 'j,' your mouth starts with the stop sound 'd,' and then smoothly moves into the fricative sound 'zh.'

So, in summary, affrication is when we combine a stop sound and a fricative sound to create a new blended sound. It's like mixing two streams of water to form a new flow, or blending two colors to create a unique shade. Examples of affrication include sounds like 'ch' and 'j' in words like 'church' and 'judge.'