linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Ling ...

, specifically

articulatory phonetics The field of articulatory phonetics is a subfield of phonetics that studies articulation and ways that humans produce speech. Articulatory phoneticians explain how humans produce speech sounds via the interaction of different physiological stru ...

, tongue shape describes the shape that the tongue assumes when it makes a sound. Because the

sibilant Sibilants are fricative consonants of higher amplitude and pitch, made by directing a stream of air with the tongue towards the teeth. Examples of sibilants are the consonants at the beginning of the English words ''sip'', ''zip'', ''ship'', and ...

sounds have such a high perceptual prominence, tongue shape is particularly important; small changes in tongue shape are easily audible and can be used to produce different speech sounds, even within a given language. For non-sibilant sounds, the relevant variations in tongue shape can be adequately described by the concept of

secondary articulation In phonetics, secondary articulation occurs when the articulation of a consonant is equivalent to the combined articulations of two or three simpler consonants, at least one of which is an approximant. The secondary articulation of such co-articu ...

, in particular palatalization (raising of the middle of the tongue),

velarization Velarization is a secondary articulation of consonants by which the back of the tongue is raised toward the velum during the articulation of the consonant. In the International Phonetic Alphabet, velarization is transcribed by one of four di ...

(raising of the back of the tongue) and

pharyngealization Pharyngealization is a secondary articulation of consonants or vowels by which the pharynx or epiglottis is constricted during the articulation of the sound. IPA symbols In the International Phonetic Alphabet, pharyngealization can be indicated b ...

(retracting of the root of the tongue). Usually, only one secondary articulation can occur for a given sound. In addition, the acoustic quality of velarization and pharyngealization is very similar so no language contrasts the two.

Shape distinctions

The following varieties of tongue shapes are defined for sibilants, from sharpest and highest-pitched to dullest and lowest-pitched: * Grooved like : with a groove running down the centerline of the tongue. The groove channels a high-velocity jet of air into the teeth, which results in a high-pitched, piercing "hissing" sound. Because of the prominence of the sounds, they are the most common and most stable of sibilants cross-linguistically. They occur in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and are denoted with a ''s'' or ''z'', as in ''soon'' or ''zone''. * Grooved palatalized like : Combination of grooved shape with palatalization, the raising/bowing of the middle of the tongue. *

Alveolo-palatal In phonetics, alveolo-palatal (or alveopalatal) consonants, sometimes synonymous with pre-palatal consonants, are intermediate in articulation between the coronal and dorsal consonants, or which have simultaneous alveolar and palatal artic ...

like , or "flat" palatalized: with a convex, V-shaped tongue and highly palatalized. * Palato-alveolar like , or "domed:" with a "domed" tongue, convex and moderately palatalized. Such sounds occur in

and are denoted with ''sh'', ''ch'', ''g'', ''j'', or ''si'', as in ''shin'', ''chin'', ''gin'', and ''vision''. * Retroflex like : with a flat or concave (curled back) tongue and no palatalization. Such sounds occur in a large number of varieties, some of which also go by other names such as "flat postalveolar" or "

apico-alveolar An apical consonant is a phone (speech sound) produced by obstructing the air passage with the tip of the tongue (apex) in conjunction with upper articulators from lips to postalveolar, and possibly prepalatal. It contrasts with laminal conson ...

." The , or "true retroflex," sounds are the very dullest and lowest-pitched of all the sibilants, and they have the greatest amount of concavity (the most curling back) of the tongue. The last three types of sounds are often known as "hushing" sounds and occasionally as "shibilants" because of their quality, as opposed to the "hissing" grooved sounds. Palatalization is an inherent part of the definition of the above varieties and cannot normally be varied independently.

References

Bibliography

* {{IPA navigation Phonetics Tongue Place of articulation

Shape distinctions

See also

References

Bibliography