Lateral flap
Encyclopedia
A lateral flap is a family of consonant
al sounds, used in some spoken language
s.
There are four attested or claimed lateral flaps in the world's languages:
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
al sounds, used in some spoken language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
s.
There are four attested or claimed lateral flaps in the world's languages:
- The alveolar lateral flap ɺ is quite common.
- A retroflex lateral flapRetroflex lateral flapThe retroflex lateral flap is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. It has no symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet, but an ad hoc symbol may be easily created .-Features:Features of the retroflex flap:...
is found in the Iwaidja languageIwaidja languageIwaidja, in phonemic spelling Iwaja, is an Australian language with about 150 speakers in northernmost Australia. Historically from the base of the Cobourg Peninsula, it is now spoken on Croker Island...
of Australia. - A palatal lateral flapPalatal lateral flapThe palatal lateral flap is a rare type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. There is no symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound...
ʎ̯ may also occur in Iwaidja, but is uncertain. - A velar lateral flapVelar lateral flapThe velar lateral flap is an allophone of the velar lateral approximant in some languages of New Guinea, such as Kanite and Melpa. The extremely short duration of the in intervocalic position warrants calling it a tap, according to Peter Ladefoged and Ian Maddieson.There is no specific symbol...
ʟ̆ occurs allophonically in MelpaMelpa languageMelpa is a Papuan language spoken by about 130,000 people predominantly in Mount Hagen and the surrounding district of Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea....
and a few other languages of New Guinea.