C O N N O T A T I O N S

as related to rootword building


CONSONANTS

Voiced
effort, intention, man-made, ambience of (sonic) support and density, strength, vitality, forceful, active, engine (drive).
Voiceless
effortless, unintentional, natural (as against man-made), weak, airy, lightweight, whisper, secret, back­ground, passive.

Continuants
music, (living) air, lasting, continuous, consistent, extens­ible, reliable, a period, gradual.
Semivowels
[see Vowels below].
Liquids
wandering, pathways, (smoothly) shifting, curving, nearly (touching), posing, the tongue, speech.
Fricatives
noise, wind, impurity, restriction, friction, rough­ness, hairiness, flow, swirl, hiss, vibration, dragging, stimulation, extending, gradual, on the move.
Nasals
closing, firmness, certainty, diverting, behind, private, smooth, smell.

Discontinuants
contact, solidity, earth, physicality, various degrees of hard­ness, an edge (sudden change in contour), encounter, temporary, reticent.
Plosives
(violent) encounter, banging, knocking, flicking, bursting, explosion, ejecting, suddenness, surprise, heat, potent, ready.
Flap
flick, quick appearance of solidity, divider, trigger, bounce.

Front
front, forward, advancing, outer, light, shallow, exposed, unfinished.
Rear
back, behind, retreating, inner, private, dark, deep, inevitable, heavy.
Labial
external identity, front door, exit or entrance, seal, holding in, soft clamp, intimate, tactile, (my) mouth, speech, signaling, (no taste).
Dental
practical, hard, sharp, edge, inner gate, accepting or barring, row of shields, delight or aggression (simple but extreme expression), biting, separating, crushing, grip, firm, strength, reinforced (by jawbone).
Alveolar
antechamber, inner threshold, just hidden, just inside or arrived, squashing, high-pitched, signal.
Retroflex
middle, soft peak, pulled back, raised, exploring deeper, under cover, turning, chewing over, thoughtful.
Lateral
[see Liquids above].
Front velar
front, high, firm, thick, confident, from within, caught, savouring, straightforward (not fancy), interior minister.
Back velar
back door, inner limit, no escape, full retreat, about to consume, crushed, covert, cameral, dim, discreet, inevitable, about to descend, gagging, primal speech.
Glottal
consumed, within, (to) the depths, inner, bodily, breath, honest, reflex, prior, beginning, source, beyond, invisible, satiation, meal, end.

VOWELS

Open vowels
loose, large, open, accepting, welcoming, ready to act or devour.
Close vowels
pressure, confinement, small, fine.
Rounding
intimate, tactile, (my) mouth, speech, pointing, “this” or “that”, near, exterior, outward, obvious, away from, closing, rounding, controlled opening, curious.
Non-rounding
broad, grin, taut, pulled sideways, flat, sliding in or out, satisfaction.

Front
front, forward, advancing, outer, light, shallow, exposed, unfinished.
Rear
back, behind, retreating, inner, private, dark, deep, inevitable, heavy.

© Ian James 2006‒2017