Consonants can be defined in terms of both phonetics and phonology. Phonetically, consonants are sounds made by a closure or narrowing in the vocal tract so that the air flow is either completely blocked or so restricted that some audible frication is produced. Consonant articulations are relatively easy to feel and determine by such means as palatography or x-rays, and as a result are most conveniently described in terms of place and manner of articulation. From a phonological point of view, consonants are those units which typically function at the margins of syllables, either singly or in clusters.
The present paper looks at all types of phonologically distinctive consonant sounds in a variety of the 'standard' dialect of Maithili and puts forward a description, classification and phonemic analysis of the consonants of this language.
