Voiceless bidental fricative

Updated on Dec 13, 2024

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The voiceless bidental fricative is a rare consonantal sound used in some languages. The only natural language known to use it is the Shapsug dialect of Adyghe. It is also used for a geminate voiceless glottal fricative (so phonemically /hː/) in the original version of the constructed language Ithkuil, its offshoot Ilaksh, and the new version of Ithkuil as one of two allophones. For example [h̪͆œʒ] and [čî’yohh] .

Features

Features of the voiceless bidental fricative:

Its manner of articulation is fricative, which means it is produced by constricting air flow through a narrow channel at the place of articulation, causing turbulence.

Its place of articulation is bidental, which means it is articulated with the lower and upper teeth pressed together.

Its phonation is voiceless, which means it is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords.

It is an oral consonant, which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth only.

Because the sound is not produced with airflow over the tongue, the central–lateral dichotomy does not apply.

The airstream mechanism is pulmonic, which means it is articulated by pushing air solely with the lungs and diaphragm, as in most sounds.

References

Voiceless bidental fricative Wikipedia

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