Voiced labiodental flap

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Voiced labiodental flap
ⱱ
IPA Number 184
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Entity (decimal)ⱱ
Unicode (hex)U+2C71
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In phonetics, the voiced labiodental flap is a speech sound found primarily in languages of Central Africa, such as Kera and Mangbetu. It has also been reported in the Austronesian language Sika. [1] It is one of the few non-rhotic flaps. The sound begins with the lower lip placed behind the upper teeth. The lower lip is then flipped outward, striking the upper teeth in passing. [2]

Contents

Symbol

The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ⱱ⟩, which resembles Cyrillic izhitsa, ⟨ѵ⟩, but is composed of a V and the hook of the flap ⟨ɾ⟩. In 2005, the International Phonetic Association, responding to Kenneth Olson's request for its adoption, voted to include a symbol for this sound, and selected a v with a right hook, [3] that is, a combination of ⟨v⟩ + ⟨ɾ⟩. As of version 5.1.0, the Unicode character set encodes this character at U+2C71 (ⱱ). In earlier literature, it is often transcribed by a v modified by the extra-short diacritic, ⟨v̆⟩, [4] following a 1989 recommendation of the International Phonetic Association. [5] Another historic symbol for this sound was v with curl ⟨ⱴ⟩, which had been employed in articles from the School of Oriental and African Studies, by Joseph Greenberg, [6] and others. [7]

Features

Features of the voiced labiodental flap:

Occurrence

The labiodental flap is found primarily in Central Africa, in as many as a few hundred languages found in the Chadic family (Margi, Tera), Ubangian (Ngbaka, Ma'bo, Sera), Mbum (e.g. Kare), Central Sudanic (Mangbetu, Kresh), and Bantoid (Ngwe, some Shona dialects). It is extremely rare outside Africa, though it has been reported from Sika in Flores.

LanguageWord IPA MeaningNotes
Bana [8] [ɡeⱱin]'fishhook'Mainly restricted to ideophones, and between high central vowels. [9] Contrasts with /v/. [10]
Danish Standard [11] ved [b̪̆e̝ːˀð̠˕ˠ]'know(s)'A tap; also described as an approximant [ ʋ ]. A rare alternative is a fricative [ v ]. [12] See Danish phonology.
Kera [ⱱehti]'push your head out of a hole or out of water'Since most of the lexical items are ideophones, it is not definitively the case that the labial flap has been fully incorporated into the phonological system of Kera. [13]
Mangbetu [taⱱa]'ten'
[neⱱiaⱱia]'black bird'
Mono [14] vwa [ⱱa]'send'Contrasts with /v/ and /w/. In free variation with bilabial flap
Sika [ⱱoti]'I stand a pole in the ground'Contrasts with /v/ and /β/. May also be realized as [b̪]

The bilabial flap is a variant of the labiodental flap in several languages, including Mono. This sound involves striking the upper lip rather than the upper teeth. The two sounds are not known to contrast in any language; the term labial flap can be used as a broader description encompassing both sounds. [15]

In Sika, the flap is heard in careful pronunciation, but it may also be realized as a voiced labiodental stop, [b̪], or an affricate. It contrasts with both a bilabial and a labiodental fricative: [16]

[ⱱoti]"I stand a pole in the ground"
[βati]"I buy"
[vehte]"We (inclusive) buy"

Notes

  1. ↑ Olson & Hajek (2003 :162–164)
  2. ↑ Olson & Hajek (1999 :104)
  3. ↑ International Phonetic Association (2005 :261)
  4. ↑ Olson & Hajek (2003 :158)
  5. ↑ International Phonetic Association (1989 :70)
  6. ↑ Olson & Hajek (1999 :112)
  7. ↑ Priest, Lorna A. (23 August 2004). Revised Proposal for Additional Latin Phonetic and Orthographic Characters (PDF) (Report). ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 2/WG 2. p. 16. N2906 L2/04-348.
  8. ↑ Hofmann (1990 :35)
  9. ↑ Hofmann (1990 :35)
  10. ↑ Hofmann (1990 :52)
  11. ↑ Basbøll (2005), p. 27.
  12. ↑ Basbøll (2005), pp. 27, 66.
  13. ↑ Olson & Hajek (2003 :27)
  14. ↑ Olson (2004 :233)
  15. ↑ Olson & Hajek (1999 :106)
  16. ↑ Olson & Hajek (2003 :181)

Related Research Articles

Labial consonants are consonants in which one or both lips are the active articulator. The two common labial articulations are bilabials, articulated using both lips, and labiodentals, articulated with the lower lip against the upper teeth, both of which are present in English. A third labial articulation is dentolabials, articulated with the upper lip against the lower teeth, normally only found in pathological speech. Generally precluded are linguolabials, in which the tip of the tongue contacts the posterior side of the upper lip, making them coronals, though sometimes, they behave as labial consonants.

In phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a labial consonant articulated with both lips.

In phonetics, labiodentals are consonants articulated with the lower lip and the upper teeth, such as and. In English, labiodentalized /s/, /z/ and /r/ are characteristic of some individuals; these may be written.

The field of articulatory phonetics is a subfield of phonetics that studies articulation and ways that humans produce speech. Articulatory phoneticians explain how humans produce speech sounds via the interaction of different physiological structures. Generally, articulatory phonetics is concerned with the transformation of aerodynamic energy into acoustic energy. Aerodynamic energy refers to the airflow through the vocal tract. Its potential form is air pressure; its kinetic form is the actual dynamic airflow. Acoustic energy is variation in the air pressure that can be represented as sound waves, which are then perceived by the human auditory system as sound.

The voiced alveolar tap or flap is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents a dental, alveolar, or postalveolar tap or flap is ⟨ɾ⟩.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voiced labial–palatal approximant</span> Consonantal sound represented by ⟨ɥ⟩ in IPA

The voiced labial–palatalapproximant is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages, for example, French "huitiéme", read as [ɥitjɛm]. It has two constrictions in the vocal tract: with the tongue on the palate, and rounded at the lips. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ɥ⟩, a rotated lowercase letter ⟨h⟩, or occasionally ⟨jʷ⟩, which indicates with a different kind of rounding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voiced labiodental approximant</span> Consonantal sound represented by ⟨ʋ⟩ in IPA

The voiced labiodental approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. It is something between an English /w/ and /v/, pronounced with the teeth and lips held in the position used to articulate the letter V. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ʋ⟩, a letter v with a leftward hook protruding from the upper right of the letter, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is Porv\. With an advanced diacritic, ⟨ʋ̟⟩, this letter also indicates a bilabial approximant, though the diacritic is frequently omitted because no contrast is likely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voiced labiodental nasal</span> Consonantal sound represented by ⟨ɱ⟩ in IPA

The voiced labiodental nasal is a type of consonantal sound. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ɱ⟩. The IPA symbol is a lowercase letter m with a leftward hook protruding from the lower right of the letter. Occasionally it is instead transcribed as an with a dental diacritic: ⟨m̪⟩.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voiced dental fricative</span> Consonantal sound represented by ⟨ð⟩ in IPA

The voiced dental fricative is a consonant sound used in some spoken languages. It is familiar to English-speakers as the th sound in father. Its symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet is eth, or and was taken from the Old English and Icelandic letter eth, which could stand for either a voiced or unvoiced (inter)dental non-sibilant fricative. Such fricatives are often called "interdental" because they are often produced with the tongue between the upper and lower teeth, and not just against the back of the upper teeth, as they are with other dental consonants.

The voiced labiodental fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨v⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is v.

The voiceless labiodental fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in a number of spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨f⟩.

In phonetics, a flap or tap is a type of consonantal sound, which is produced with a single contraction of the muscles so that one articulator is thrown against another.

The voiceless labial–velar plosive or stop is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. It is a and pronounced simultaneously and is considered a double articulation. To make this sound, one can say Coe but with the lips closed as if one were saying Poe; the lips are to be released at the same time as or a fraction of a second after the C of Coe. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨k͡p⟩.

The voiced labial–velar plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. It is a and pronounced simultaneously and is considered a double articulation. To make this sound, one can say go but with the lips closed as if one were saying Bo; the lips are to be released at the same time as or a fraction of a second after the g of go is pronounced. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ɡ͡b⟩. Its voiceless counterpart is voiceless labial–velar plosive,.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voiced bilabial flap</span> Consonantal sound represented by ⟨ⱱ̟⟩ or ⟨b̆⟩ in IPA

The voiced bilabial flap is an uncommon non-rhotic flap. It is usually, and perhaps always, an allophone of the labiodental flap, though it is the preferred allophone in a minority of languages such as Banda and some of its neighbors.

Mono is a language spoken by about 65,000 people in the northwestern corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is one of the Banda languages, a subbranch of the Ubangian branch of the Niger–Congo languages. It has five dialects: Bili, Bubanda, Mpaka, Galaba, and Kaga.

The voiced labiodental plosive or stop is a consonant sound produced like a, but with the lower lip contacting the upper teeth, as in. This can be represented in the IPA as ⟨b̪⟩. A separate symbol that is sometimes seen, especially in Bantu linguistics, but not recognized by the IPA, is the db ligature ⟨ȸ⟩.

The nasal labial–velar approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in some languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨w̃⟩, that is, a w with a tilde. The equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is w~.

The voiceless bilabial trill is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ʙ̥⟩. The X-SAMPA symbol is B\_0

The voiceless labiodental nasal (stop) is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨⟩, a combination of the letter for the voiced labiodental nasal and a diacritic indicating voicelessness, in certain sources, the voicelessness diacritic can be found below ⟨⟩. The equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is F_0.

References

Further reading

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