The voiced velar lateral approximant is a type of

consonant In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are and pronounced with the lips; and pronounced with the front of the tongue; and pronounced w ...

al sound, used as a distinct consonant in a very small number of spoken

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

s in the world. The symbol in the

International Phonetic Alphabet The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetic system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin script. It was devised by the International Phonetic Association in the late 19th century as a standardized representation ...

that represents this sound is (since 1989) and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is L\. The velar laterals of the world often involve a prestopped realization .

Features

Features of the voiced velar lateral approximant: The velar lateral involves no contact of the

tip of the tongue Tip of the tongue (also known as ''lethologica'') is the phenomenon of failing to retrieve a word or term from memory, combined with partial recall and the feeling that retrieval is imminent. The phenomenon's name comes from the saying, "It's on ...

with the roof of the mouth: just like for the velar stop , the only contact takes place between the back of the tongue and the

velum Velum may refer to: Human anatomy * Superior medullary velum, anterior medullary velum or valve of Vieussens, white matter, in the brain, which stretches between the superior cerebellar peduncles ** Frenulum of superior medullary velum, a slightl ...

. This contrasts with the

velarized alveolar lateral approximant The voiced alveolar lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental, alveolar, and postalveolar lateral approximants is , and the e ...

– also known as the dark ''l'' in English ''feel'' – for which the apex touches the

alveolar ridge The alveolar process () or alveolar bone is the thickened ridge of bone that contains the tooth sockets on the jaw bones (in humans, the maxilla and the mandible). The structures are covered by gums as part of the oral cavity. The synonymous ...

Occurrence

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

* {{IPA navigation Lateral consonants Velar consonants Pulmonic consonants Voiced oral consonants

Features

Occurrence

See also

Notes

References

External links