Voiced retroflex lateral approximant

IPA Unicode 0x026D

Voiced Retroflex Lateral Approximant

The voiced retroflex lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. This sound is characterized by its manner of articulation, which is approximant, meaning that 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 retroflex, which means it is articulated with the tip of the tongue curled back toward the palate. It is a lateral consonant, which means it is produced by allowing the airstream to flow along the sides of the tongue, rather than down the middle. The 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.

Articulation

The articulation of the voiced retroflex lateral approximant involves the following components:

• Its manner of articulation is approximant, which means the articulators come close to each other but do not touch, creating a narrow opening through which air flows.
• Its place of articulation is retroflex, indicating the tongue is curled back towards the palate.
• It is a lateral consonant, meaning the airstream escapes over one or both sides of the tongue.
• It is voiced, meaning the vocal cords vibrate during the articulation.
• It is an oral consonant, with air allowed to escape through the mouth only.

Occurrence

The voiced retroflex lateral approximant is a rare sound across languages. It can be found in languages such as Tamil, where it is represented by the letter ழ, and in some dialects of Norwegian. The presence and usage of this sound can vary significantly between different dialects within the same language, and its precise phonetic and phonological properties can be quite complex.

Symbol

In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), the symbol for the voiced retroflex lateral approximant is ⟨ɭ⟩. This symbol is used in phonetic transcriptions to represent the sound accurately in written form.

See Also

• Lateral consonant
• Retroflex consonant
• Voiced dental and alveolar lateral approximants