In this video we are going to learn about a group of special consonant sounds: trills!

They are consonants – not vowels – because there is constriction in the vocal tract during sound production. An active articulator – for example the tip of the tongue – flaps against a passive articulator – for example the alveolar ridge. We use airflow to get the active articulator to vibrate against the passive articulator. This continued flapping or tapping produces a trill sound. You could compare this to a curtain in an open window flapping whenever there is wind moving in from the outside.

In contrast to taps like the Flap T sound, the vibration in these special trill sounds is caused by the airstream, not through muscle movement.

Although standard English does not contain any trills, I decided to include this video because several of you asked me about these sounds in the comments.

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