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]
Contents
Features[edit]
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[edit]
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faroese[3] | kjálki | [ˈt͡ʃʰaʎ̥t͡ʃɪ] | 'jaw' | Allophone of /l/.[3] See Faroese phonology | |
| Inupiaq[4] | sikł̣aq | [sikʎ̥˖ɑq] | ˈpickaxeˈ | Alveolo-palatal;[4] also described as a fricative [ʎ̥˖˔].[5] Contrasts with voiceless /ɬ/ and voiced /ʎ/ and /l/. | |
| nuiŋił̣ł̣uni | [nuiŋiʎ̥˖ʎ̥˖uni] | 'because it did not appear' | |||
| Norwegian | Trondheim subdialect of Trøndersk[6] | alt | [ɑʎ̥c] | 'everything, all' | Allophone of /ʎ/ before /c/.[6] See Norwegian phonology |
| Some subdialects of Trøndersk[6] | tatle | [tɑʎ̥] | 'acting silly' | According to some scholars,[7][8] it is a phoneme that contrasts with /ʎ/ (as in /tɑʎ/ 'softwood'.)[6] See Norwegian phonology | |
| Xumi | Lower[1] | [Hʎ̥˖o] | 'spirit' | Alveolo-palatal; contrasts with the voiced /ʎ/.[1][2] | |
| Upper[2] | [Hʎ̥˖ɛ] | 'flavorless' | |||
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b c Chirkova & Chen (2013), pp. 365, 367–368.
- ^ a b c Chirkova, Chen & Kocjančič Antolík (2013), pp. 382–383.
- ^ a b Árnason (2011:115)
- ^ a b Kaplan 1981, p. 29.
- ^ MacLean 1980, p. XX.
- ^ a b c d 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 for that.
References[edit]
- 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[permanent dead link]
- 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[permanent dead link]
- 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
- MacLean, Edna Ahgeak (1980), Iñupiallu Tanņiḷḷu Uqaluņisa Iḷaņich = Abridged Iñupiaq and English Dictionary (PDF), Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska, p. xvii-xx, retrieved 20 December 2017
- Kaplan, Lawrence D. (1981), Phonological Issues in North Alaskan Inupiaq (PDF), Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska, p. 21-29, retrieved 20 December 2017
