A 'central'' or ''medial consonant' is a
consonant sound that is produced when air flows across the center of the mouth over the tongue.
Examples of central consonants are the
voiceless velar plosive (the "k" in the English word "skin"), the
voiced alveolar fricative (the "z" in the English word "zoo") and the
alveolar nasal (the "n" in the English word "plan").
A consonant in which air flows along the sides of the tongue rather than over its center is a
lateral consonant.
See also
★
manner of articulation
★
list of phonetics topics