Voiced velar lateral approximant

Voiced velar lateral approximant
Voiced velar lateral approximant
ʟ
IPA Number	158
Encoding
Entity (decimal)	ʟ
Unicode (hex)	U+029F
X-SAMPA	L\
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The voiced velar lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used as a distinct consonant in a very small number^[1] of spoken languages in the world. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ʟ⟩ (since 1989) and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is L\.

The velar laterals of the world often involve a prestopped realization [ɡ͡ʟ].^[2]

Features[]

Features of the voiced 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 voiced, which means the vocal cords vibrate during the articulation.
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.

The velar lateral [ʟ] involves no contact of the tip of the tongue with the roof of the mouth: just like for the velar stop [ɡ], the only contact takes place between the back of the tongue and the velum. This contrasts with the velarized alveolar lateral approximant [ɫ] – also known as the dark l in English feel [fiːɫ] – for which the apex touches the alveolar ridge.^[3]

Occurrence[]

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
English	Southern US^[4]	middle	[ˈmɪdʟ̩]	'middle'	May occur before or after a velar consonant, as in milk and cycle, when assimilating /ʊ/, as in wolf, or before labial consonants, as in help. See English phonology
English	Southern US^[4]	full	[ˈfʟ̩ː]	'full'
Hiw^[5]		r̄evr̄ov	[ɡ͡ʟəβɡ͡ʟɔβ]	'evening'	Realized as prestopped [ɡ͡ʟ].
Korean		달구지 / dalguji	[tɐʟɡud͡ʑi]	'cart'	Allophone of final consonant [ɭ] ⟨ㄹ⟩ before velar consonants. See Korean phonology.
Melpa^[6]		paⱡa	[paʟa]	'fence'	Realized as prestopped [ɡ͡ʟ].
Mid-Wahgi^[7]		aglagle	[aʟaʟe]	'dizzy'	Realized as prestopped [ɡ͡ʟ].

Notes[]

^ François (2010), pp. 422–426.
^ François (2010), p. 425.
^ François (2010), p. 423.
^ Wells (1982), p. 551.
^ François (2010), p. 419.
^ Ladefoged (2005), p. 169.
^ Roca & Johnson (1999), p. 73.

References[]

François, Alexandre (2010), "Phonotactics and the prestopped velar lateral of Hiw: resolving the ambiguity of a complex segment" (PDF), Phonology, 27 (3): 393–434, doi:10.1017/s0952675710000205
Ladefoged, Peter (2005), Vowels and Consonants (2nd ed.), Blackwell
Roca, Iggy; Johnson, Wyn (1999), A Course in Phonology, Blackwell Publishing
Wells, John C. (1982). Accents of English. Volume 3: Beyond the British Isles (pp. i–xx, 467–674). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-52128541-0 .

External links[]

List of languages with [ʟ] on PHOIBLE

[FOOTNOTEFrançois2010422–426-1] François (2010), pp. 422–426.

[FOOTNOTEFrançois2010425-2] François (2010), p. 425.

[FOOTNOTEFrançois2010423-3] François (2010), p. 423.

[FOOTNOTEWells1982551-4] Wells (1982), p. 551.

[FOOTNOTEFrançois2010419-5] François (2010), p. 419.

[FOOTNOTELadefoged2005169-6] Ladefoged (2005), p. 169.

[FOOTNOTERocaJohnson199973-7] Roca & Johnson (1999), p. 73.

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