Manner of articulation refers to how speech sounds are produced in the vocal tract. It describes the specific way airflow is obstructed or modified when creating different sounds. For example, in phonetics, sounds can be classified as stops, fricatives, or nasals, depending on whether airflow is completely blocked, partially obstructed, or allowed to flow through the nasal cavity. Understanding manner of articulation is essential for distinguishing between different consonants and vowels in languages. This concept helps linguists and language learners identify how sounds are formed, which can improve pronunciation and comprehension. By analyzing the manner of articulation, one can better appreciate the diversity of human speech.