Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Voiceless palatal lateral approximant

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IPA number
  
157 402A

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.

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.

    • References

    Voiceless palatal lateral approximant Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA