Laminal consonant

Laminal consonants are sounds we make with our mouths when we speak. The word "laminal" means they're made with the blade of your tongue, which is a fancy way of saying the front part that's right behind your teeth. When you say a laminal consonant, your tongue touches the roof of your mouth with the front part, but the middle and back parts of your tongue stay down.

So, for example, when you say the sound "t," that's a laminal consonant. You put the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth right behind your top teeth, and then let the air come out. This makes the "t" sound. Another example is "s." To make the "s" sound, you stick your tongue out a bit and hold it against the roof of your mouth. Again, the air comes out and makes the sound.

Most of the sounds we make in English are laminal consonants, so you use them all the time when you talk!