Relating to or functioning as a consonant; in linguistics, describing sounds made by obstructing airflow with the mouth or throat.
From consonant (Latin consonans) + -al (adjective suffix). Developed as a linguistic technical term in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Consonantal sounds literally come from blocking your mouth's airflow—unlike vowels which need open throat space—which is why every language needs consonants to create the clickety-clack rhythm of human speech.
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