[Idiom] Aspired phoneme in the English language

[leonardo74]

Dear Experts,

What is the meaning of aspired phoneme in the English language?
Why in the English language is used the term “aspired” to denominate the exhalation of air to produce a phoneme without articulating the vocal chords?

Thank you,
Leonardo C.

 

[Raymott]

Do you mean "aspirated"?

 

[jutfrank]

Why in the English language is used the term “aspired” to denominate the exhalation of air to produce a phoneme without articulating the vocal chords?

As has been mentioned, we normally say aspirated, from the process described as aspiration. As a native Spanish speaker, you probably know that this word can be derived from the Latin aspirare, which means something like 'breathe upon'. Since the process of aspiration requires an expulsion of breath, it's a good word to use.

 

[PHenry1026]

In English /p t k/ at the beginning of a syllable are aspirated in most accents.... Aspiration is an important factor in whether we perceive a sound to be /p t k/ or /b d g/ in a syllable-initial position.

For more on this see Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th Edition, pp. 561-562.