2.2. 辅音（Consonants）

地球上的所有语言都一样，在自然语流中，辅音不会单独存在。单独的元音，可以构成音节，也可以构成或者表达意义。比如，ah ɑː, oh oʊ，或者 Uh-Oh ˈʌoʊ。但，绝大多数辅音必须依附于元音才能构成音节[^1]，并且，单独的辅音也不能构成意义。

All languages on Earth follow a similar pattern: in the flow of natural speech, consonants never stand alone. Isolated vowels, however, can form syllables and convey meaning. For instance, you have sounds like ah ɑː, oh oʊ, or O'Oh ˈɑoʊ. But consonants almost always need to be attached to vowels to form syllables, and alone, they don't carry meaning.

注意：有三个辅音，l, m, n，被称作 “音节辅音”，因为它们自带 ə 的音色。比如，bottle ˈbɑːtl, bottom ˈbɑːtm, button ˈbʌtn。有些词典会用 ᵊ，比如写成： bottle ˈbɑːtᵊl, bottom ˈbɑːtᵊm, button ˈbʌtᵊn。剑桥词典的标注方式是：bottle ˈbɑːt̬əl, bottom ˈbɑːt̬əm, button ˈbʌtən……

Please note, in English, there are three consonants — l, m, and n — that can act as "syllabic consonants." This means they carry a vocalic quality similar to the schwa sound ə. For instance, in words like bottle ˈbɑːtl, bottom ˈbɑːtm, and button ˈbʌtn, you can hear this quality. Some dictionaries use the symbol ᵊ to indicate this sound, rendering the words as follows: bottle ˈbɑːtᵊl, bottom ˈbɑːtᵊm, button ˈbʌtᵊn. The Cambridge Dictionary, however, uses a slightly different notation: bottle ˈbɑːt̬əl, bottom ˈbɑːt̬əm, button ˈbʌtən.