The IPA lists Plosives first, then Nasals, then Trills, then Taps, then Fricatives, then Approximants. Why is it ordered that way?
I wondered if it was to do with ease of use. However, it doesn't seem that making an "m" sound takes anymore effort than an "k" sounds.
I then wondered if it was to do with the order in which humans develop phonemes. However, I found that infants generally learn Approximants first, then Plosives, then Nasals.
I then wondered if it's to do with frequency of use. Plosives are common in normal speech. Also, people do seem to use Nasals a lot considering Speech Disfluency Fillers (e.g. um). Could this be the reason? Or, is there a different reason for the ordering?