Linguolabial consonant

Linguolabial consonant

A linguolabial consonant is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The term "linguolabial" refers to the involvement of the tongue and the lips in the articulation of these sounds. Unlike most other consonants, which are articulated with the tongue against various parts of the palate (roof of the mouth), linguolabial consonants are produced by positioning the tongue against the upper lip. This method of sound production is relatively uncommon globally and is primarily found in certain languages of Oceania, including some Vanuatu languages, and in parts of Africa.

Articulation

The articulation of linguolabial consonants involves the contact of the tongue tip or blade with the upper lip. This can be contrasted with bilabial consonants, where both lips make contact, or dental and alveolar consonants, where the tongue contacts the teeth or the alveolar ridge, respectively. Linguolabial sounds can be voiced or voiceless and may occur as stops, fricatives, or nasals.

Types

There are several types of linguolabial consonants, including:

• Voiced linguolabial plosive [d̼], which is like a voiced bilabial plosive [b] but with the tongue against the upper lip.
• Voiceless linguolabial plosive [t̼], similar to a voiceless bilabial plosive [p] but articulated with the tongue and upper lip.
• Voiced linguolabial nasal [n̼], which is a nasal sound produced with the tongue against the upper lip, similar to the voiced bilabial nasal [m] but with a different articulation point.
• Voiceless linguolabial fricative [θ̼], a rare sound that involves a fricative articulation between the tongue and the upper lip.

Occurrence

Linguolabial consonants are not widespread but can be found in specific languages around the world. In the Pacific region, languages of Vanuatu such as Big Nambas and Mwotlap feature these sounds. In Africa, linguolabial consonants have been reported in languages such as Toda and certain dialects of Kongo.

Phonetic Notation

In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), linguolabial consonants are denoted by adding a "seagull" diacritic under the corresponding bilabial or dental symbol. For example, the voiced linguolabial plosive is represented as [d̼].

Linguistic Significance

The existence of linguolabial consonants challenges the notion of a universal set of articulatory gestures in human language. Their presence in only a small number of languages suggests that while the human vocal apparatus is capable of producing a wide range of sounds, cultural and historical factors play a significant role in determining the phonemic inventory of any given language.

See Also

• Consonant
• International Phonetic Alphabet
• Phonetics
• Articulatory phonetics