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   Definitions:  

consonant n.   Any speech sound that involves a significant obstruction of the airstream in the vocal tract and that functions at the beginning or end of a syllable, either singly or in a cluster, or a letter of the alphabet representing such a speech sound. Plosive consonants involve complete stoppage of the airstream and are maximally consonantal; nasal (2) consonants complete blockage of the airstream through the mouth but not the nose; fricatives considerable obstruction but not stoppage; lateral consonants obstruction in the centre of the mouth only; and approximants relatively little obstruction of the airflow. Compare semivowel, vowel. consonantal adj. [From Latin consonare to sound at the same time]. 

"consonant n."  A Dictionary of Psychology. Edited by Andrew M. Colman. Oxford University Press 2009. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Universidad de Valencia.  15 November 2009  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t87.e1809>


vowel noun 
a speech sound which is produced by comparatively open configuration of the vocal tract, with vibration of the vocal cords but without audible friction, and which is a unit of the sound system of a language that forms the nucleus of a syllable. Contrasted with consonant.

"vowel noun"  The Oxford Dictionary of English (revised edition). Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. Oxford University Press, 2005. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Universidad de Valencia.  15 November 2009  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t140.e86726>


diphthong   A vowel whose quality changes perceptibly in one direction within a single syllable: e.g. [a] in house, whose articulation changes from relatively open to relatively close and back. Diphthongs are falling or rising according to which phase is more prominent.

A distinction might be drawn in principle between a phonetic diphthong and a diphthong in phonology, which would consist of a sequence of two vowel phonemes. Thus the [a] of house is phonetically diphthongal, but different phonologists have described it variously as a single phoneme, as a vowel plus another vowel, or as a vowel plus a semivowel. Cf. monophthong; triphthong.

"diphthong"  The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics. P. H. Matthews. Oxford University Press, 2007. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Universidad de Valencia.  15 November 2009  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t36.e914>.

 

Pronunciation of kestrel: ({sm}k{ope}str{shti}l).

Philology:     1. Love of learning and literature; the branch of knowledge that deals with the historical, linguistic, interpretative, and critical aspects of literature; literary or classical scholarship. Now chiefly U.S.

Crow: Etymology: [OE. cráwe f., corresp. to OS. krâia, MLG. krâge, krâe, krâ, LG. kraie, kreie, MDu. kraeye, Du. kraai, OHG. chrâwa, chrâja, chrâ, crâwa, crâ, MHG. kræe, krâwe, krâ, Ger. krähe; a WG. deriv. of the vb. crâwan, crâian to

CROW, q.v.] 

Spanish Translation: crow1 /kr/ noun  1.  (Zool) cuervo m; 

"crow1 "  The Concise Oxford Spanish Dictionary. Ed. Nicholas Rollin. Oxford University Press, 1998. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Universidad de Valencia.  15 November 2009  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t67b.e6661>