Voiceless labial–velar fricative

IPA Unicode 0x028D

Voiceless labial–velar fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. It is characterized by a complex articulation, with the sound being produced by the simultaneous closure of the lips and the back of the tongue approaching the velum (the soft part of the palate), but without the vocal cords vibrating, making it a voiceless sound. This sound does not occur in English but is found in various languages around the world, including certain dialects of Kʼicheʼ and Hausa. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) that represents this sound is ⟨ʍ⟩, not to be confused with the voiceless labio-velar approximant [w̥] or the voiced labial-velar approximant [w].

Articulation

The voiceless labial–velar fricative is a rare sound, both in terms of occurrence and articulation. It involves a simultaneous labial and velar constriction. To articulate this sound, the speaker must perform a bilabial closure by bringing both lips together, as in pronouncing the letter 'p' in "spit," while also raising the back of the tongue to approach the velum, similar to the production of the letter 'k' in "skit," but without fully blocking the airflow. This dual articulation makes it a coarticulated consonant, sharing properties of both fricatives and approximants.

Occurrence

The voiceless labial–velar fricative is not widespread and is mostly found in certain African and indigenous languages. In Hausa, it is represented by the letter ⟨ƙ⟩ and is a phoneme distinct from both the voiceless velar fricative and the voiceless bilabial fricative. Its presence in languages like Kʼicheʼ and others may be due to specific phonetic environments or historical linguistic evolution.

Phonetic Notation

In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the voiceless labial–velar fricative is denoted by ⟨ʍ⟩, which may appear similar to the letter used for the voiceless labio-velar approximant but is distinct in its articulation and acoustic properties. Phonetic transcription provides a way to capture the sound in written form, allowing for analysis and comparison across languages.

See Also

• Fricative
• Coarticulated consonant
• International Phonetic Alphabet
• Bilabial consonant
• Velar consonant