ABSTRACT
Voiceless breath ( voiced vs voiceless) before (=preaspiration) or after (=postaspiration) the formation of a (usually voiceless) stop or fricative, due to the preceding (or succeeding) opening of the glottis, especially after (or before) the formation of a voiced vowel, e.g. [hp], [hk] in Icelandic ['hεhp:ιn] ‘happy,’ ['1Yh k:a] ‘luck’; [hk'] in Georgian [hk'idia] ‘(he/she/ it) hangs’; or Eng. [ph], [th], [kh] in [phæn] pan, [thæn] tan, [khæn] can. The degree of air pressure determines the strength of aspiration. ( also articulatory phonetics, fortis vs lenis, phonotactics)
References
phonetics
1 Formation of an epenthetic ( epenthesis) sibilant through palatalization between a dorsal stop ( dorsal, stop) and a following front vowel [i, e], e.g. the [s] in German Nation [natsion].
