Voiceless palatal lateral approximant
| Voiceless palatal lateral approximant | |
|---|---|
| ʎ̥ | |
| IPA number | 157 402A |
| Encoding | |
| X-SAMPA |
L_0 |
The voiceless palatal lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ʎ̥⟩ (devoiced ⟨ʎ⟩), and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is L_0.
If distinction is necessary, the voiceless alveolo-palatal lateral approximant may be transcribed as ⟨l̠̊ʲ⟩ or ⟨l̥˗ʲ⟩ (both symbols denote a devoiced, retracted and palatalized ⟨l⟩) or ⟨ʎ̥˖⟩ (devoiced and advanced ⟨ʎ⟩); these are essentially equivalent, since the contact includes both the blade and body (but not the tip) of the tongue. The equivalent X-SAMPA symbols are l_0_-' or l_0_-_j and L_0_+, respectively. A non-IPA letter ⟨ȴ̊⟩ (devoiced ⟨ȴ⟩, which is an ordinary "l", plus the curl found in the symbols for alveolo-palatal sibilant fricatives ⟨ɕ, ʑ⟩) can also be used.
It is found as a phoneme distinct from the voiced /ʎ/ in the Xumi language spoken in China.[1][2]
Features
Features of the voiceless palatal lateral approximant:
- Its manner of articulation is approximant, which means it is produced by narrowing the vocal tract at the place of articulation, but not enough to produce a turbulent airstream.
- Its place of articulation is palatal, which means it is articulated with the middle or back part of the tongue raised to the hard palate.
- Its phonation is voiceless, which means it is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords. In some languages the vocal cords are actively separated, so it is always voiceless; in others the cords are lax, so that it may take on the voicing of adjacent sounds.
- It is an oral consonant, which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth only.
- It is a lateral consonant, which means it is produced by directing the airstream over the sides of the tongue, rather than down the middle.
- The airstream mechanism is pulmonic, which means it is articulated by pushing air solely with the lungs and diaphragm, as in most sounds.
Occurrence
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faroese[3] | kjálki | [ˈt͡ʃʰaʎ̥t͡ʃɪ] | 'jaw' | Allophone of /l/.[3] See Faroese phonology | |
| Norwegian | Trondheim subdialect of Trøndersk[4] | alt | [ɑʎ̥c] | 'everything, all' | Allophone of /ʎ/ before /c/.[4] See Norwegian phonology |
| Some subdialects of Trøndersk[4] | tatle | [tɑʎ̥] | 'acting silly' | According to some scholars,[5][6] it is a phoneme that contrasts with /ʎ/ (as in /tɑʎ/ 'softwood'.)[4] See Norwegian phonology | |
| Xumi | Lower[1] | [Hʎ̥o] | 'spirit' | Alveolo-palatal; contrasts with the voiced /ʎ/.[1][2] | |
| Upper[2] | [Hʎ̥ɛ] | 'flavorless' | |||
References
- 1 2 3 Chirkova & Chen (2013), pp. 365, 367–368.
- 1 2 3 Chirkova, Chen & Kocjančič Antolík (2013), pp. 382–383.
- 1 2 Árnason (2011:115)
- 1 2 3 4 Vanvik (1979), p. 37.
- ↑ Such as Vanvik (1979)
- ↑ An example of a scholar disagreeing with this position is Scholtz (2009). On page 15, she provides a phoneme chart for Trøndersk, in which /ʎ/ is included. Under the phoneme chart she writes "Vanvik also lists /ʎ̥/ as an underlying phoneme, but that’s ridiculous :)." She provides no further explanation as to why it is ridiculous.
Bibliography
- Árnason, Kristján (2011), The Phonology of Icelandic and Faroese, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-922931-4
- Chirkova, Katia; Chen, Yiya (2013), "Xumi, Part 1: Lower Xumi, the Variety of the Lower and Middle Reaches of the Shuiluo River" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 43 (3): 363–379, doi:10.1017/S0025100313000157
- Chirkova, Katia; Chen, Yiya; Kocjančič Antolík, Tanja (2013), "Xumi, Part 2: Upper Xumi, the Variety of the Upper Reaches of the Shuiluo River" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 43 (3): 381–396, doi:10.1017/S0025100313000169
- Scholtz, Anna (2009), A phonetic study of the status of three mergers in the Trøndersk dialect of Norwegian (PDF), Williamstown, Massachusetts: Williams College
- Vanvik, Arne (1979), Norsk fonetikk, Oslo: Universitetet i Oslo, ISBN 82-990584-0-6
