Voiced retroflex affricate

Voiced retroflex affricate (vector, no tiebar)

Voiced retroflex affricate is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) that represents this sound is ⟨ʈ͡ʂ⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is ⟨t`_s`⟩. This sound is characterized by its retroflex articulation with a voiced affricate quality.

Articulation

The voiced retroflex affricate is produced by first stopping the airflow entirely, then releasing it through a narrow channel at the place of articulation, causing turbulence. The articulatory features of this sound involve:

• Voicing: This affricate is voiced, meaning the vocal cords vibrate during the articulation.
• Place of Articulation: It is retroflex, which means it is articulated with the tip of the tongue curled up towards the palate.
• Manner of Articulation: As an affricate, the sound combines a stop closure with a fricative release.

Occurrence

The voiced retroflex affricate is found in a variety of languages around the world, though it is not as common as its voiceless counterpart, the voiceless retroflex affricate. Languages that feature this sound include certain dialects of Mandarin Chinese, where it can be represented by the pinyin letters "zh", and in some Dravidian languages, such as Tamil and Malayalam. Its presence or absence can be a distinguishing feature in regional accents or dialects within a language.

Phonetic and Phonological Features

• It is a consonant sound.
• The sound is voiced, involving vibration of the vocal cords.
• It has a retroflex articulation, with the tongue curled back in the mouth.
• Being an affricate, it has a complex manner of articulation, combining a stop and a fricative component.

Examples

Due to the wide variation in linguistic notation and the specific phonetic and phonological context of each language, examples of the voiced retroflex affricate in specific languages should be approached with an understanding of the broader phonetic inventory of each language. For instance, in Mandarin Chinese, the sound is an integral part of the phonetic inventory, contrasting with other retroflex sounds.

See Also

• Affricate consonant
• Retroflex consonant
• Voiced dental and alveolar affricates
• International Phonetic Alphabet