Voiced velar lateral approximant | |||
---|---|---|---|
ʟ | |||
IPA Number | 158 | ||
Audio sample | |||
Encoding | |||
Entity (decimal) | ʟ | ||
Unicode (hex) | U+029F | ||
X-SAMPA | L\ | ||
Braille | ![]() ![]() | ||
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The voiced velar lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used as a distinct consonant in a very small number[1] of spoken languages in the world. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ʟ⟩ a small capital version of the Latin letter l (since 1989), and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is L\
.
The velar laterals of the world often involve a prestopped realization [ɡ͡ʟ].[2]
Features of the voiced velar lateral approximant:
The velar lateral [ʟ] involves no contact of the tip of the tongue with the roof of the mouth: just like for the velar stop [ɡ], the only contact takes place between the back of the tongue and the velum. This contrasts with the velarized alveolar lateral approximant [ɫ] – also known as the dark l in English feel [fiːɫ] – for which the apex touches the alveolar ridge.[3]
Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
English | Southern US[4] | middle | [ˈmɪɾʟ̩] | 'middle' | May occur before or after a velar consonant, as in milk and cycle, when assimilating /ʊ/, as in wolf, or before labial consonants, as in help. See English phonology |
full | [ˈfʟ̩ː] | 'full' | |||
Hiw[5] | r̄evr̄ov | [ɡ͡ʟəβɡ͡ʟɔβ] | 'evening' | Realized as prestopped [ɡ͡ʟ]. | |
Melpa[6] | paⱡa | ![]() |
'fence' | Realized as prestopped [ɡ͡ʟ]. | |
Mid-Wahgi[7] | aglagle | [aʟaʟe] | 'dizzy' | Realized as prestopped [ɡ͡ʟ]. |