glide (n.)

A term used in PHONETICS to refer to a TRANSITIONAL sound as the VOCAL ORGANS move towards or away from an ARTICULATION (ON-GLIDE and OFF-GLIDE respectively). An example is the [j] glide heard in some pronunciations of words like tune, viz. [t^ju:n].

Also in PHONETICS, the term is used for a VOWEL where there is an audible change in quality. DIPHTHONGS and TRIPHTHONGS are both types of glide (or gliding vowels).

In the study of INTONATION, the term is sometimes used to describe a tone which involves a change of PITCH level. The notion thus includes FALLING, RISING, rising-falling, etc. tones.