Voiced palatal implosive

IPA Unicode 0x0284

Voiced Palatal Implosive is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) that represents this sound is ⟨ʄ⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is J\_>. It is a palatal sound, which means it is made by directing the airstream along the center of the tongue against the hard palate. It is also an implosive consonant, indicating that it is produced with an inward airflow created by glottalic ingression – that is, by moving the glottis downward in conjunction with the articulation of the consonant.

Characteristics

An implosive is produced by first closing the oral cavity so that no air can escape through the mouth, then moving the glottis downward to create negative pressure, and finally releasing the closure to let the air rush in, producing the sound. The voiced palatal implosive involves the body of the tongue contacting the hard palate, combining the mechanism of implosion with a palatal place of articulation.

Occurrence

The voiced palatal implosive is relatively rare among the world's languages. It occurs in certain African languages such as Saraiki, and in some languages of India. Its rarity makes it a phoneme of interest in the field of phonetics and linguistics, particularly in studies of phonemic inventory and phonological typology.

Phonetic Description

To articulate the voiced palatal implosive, the speaker performs the following steps: 1. The glottis is closed to stop the airflow from the lungs. 2. The tongue is raised towards the hard palate, creating a complete closure at the palatal region. 3. The glottis is then moved downward, creating a negative pressure within the oral cavity. 4. The closure at the palate is released, allowing the air to rush in and produce the implosive sound.

This sound does not have a voiceless counterpart due to the nature of implosive phonation, which inherently involves voicing.

In Phonology

In the phonological systems of languages that include the voiced palatal implosive, this sound can play a significant role in distinguishing meaning between words, known as phonemic contrast. However, due to its rarity, the voiced palatal implosive is not as central in phonological discussions as more common sounds like plosives or fricatives.

See Also

• Implosive consonant
• Palatal consonant
• International Phonetic Alphabet
• Phonetics
• Linguistics