noun
- a speech sound that has the acoustic properties of a vowel but functions as a consonant
Usage: linguistics
Examples
- The sounds /w/ and /j/ are semivowels in English.
- In the word ‘yes’, the initial /j/ sound is a semivowel.
- Semivowels are also called glides because they glide from one vowel position to another.
- The /w/ in ‘water’ is classified as a semivowel.
- Linguists study how semivowels differ from true vowels and consonants.
- Some languages have more semivowels than English does.