Voiceless velar lateral approximant

Voiceless velar lateral approximant
ʟ̥
IPA number	158 402A
Encoding
X-SAMPA	L\_0

The voiceless velar lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used in a very small number of spoken languages in the world. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ʟ̥⟩ (since 1989) and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is L\_0.

Features

Features of the voiceless velar 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 velar, which means it is articulated with the back of the tongue (the dorsum) at the soft 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
English	Western American	clear	[kʟ̥iɚ̯]	'clear'	Possible allophone of /l/ after the aspirated allophone of /k/. See English phonology
German	Austrian	klar	[kʟ̥ɑː]	'clear'	Possible allophone of /l/ after the aspirated allophone of /k/. See Standard German phonology

References

• Grønnum, Nina (2005), Fonetik og fonologi, Almen og Dansk (3rd ed.), Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, ISBN 87-500-3865-6