Voiceless palatal fricative
ç
IPA Number138
Audio sample
Encoding
Entity (decimal)ç
Unicode (hex)U+00E7
X-SAMPAC
Braille
⠖ (braille pattern dots-235)
⠉ (braille pattern dots-14)
Voiceless palatal approximant
j̊
IPA Number153 402A
Encoding
Entity (decimal)j​̊
Unicode (hex)U+006A U+030A
X-SAMPAj_0

The voiceless palatal fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ç⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is C. It is the non-sibilant equivalent of the voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative.

The symbol ç is the letter c with a cedilla (Ç), as used to spell French and Portuguese words such as façade and ação. However, the sound represented by the letter ç in French and Portuguese orthography is not a voiceless palatal fricative but /s/, the voiceless alveolar fricative.

Palatal fricatives are relatively rare phonemes, and only 5% of the world's languages have /ç/ as a phoneme.[1] The sound further occurs as an allophone of /x/ (e.g. in German or Greek), or, in other languages, of /h/ in the vicinity of front vowels.

There is also the voiceless post-palatal fricative[2] in some languages, which is articulated slightly farther back compared with the place of articulation of the prototypical voiceless palatal fricative, though not as back as the prototypical voiceless velar fricative. The International Phonetic Alphabet does not have a separate symbol for that sound, though it can be transcribed as ⟨ç̠⟩, ⟨ç˗⟩ (both symbols denote a retracted ⟨ç⟩) or ⟨x̟⟩ (advanced ⟨x⟩). The equivalent X-SAMPA symbols are C_- and x_+, respectively.

Especially in broad transcription, the voiceless post-palatal fricative may be transcribed as a palatalized voiceless velar fricative (⟨xʲ⟩ in the IPA, x' or x_j in X-SAMPA).

Some scholars also posit the voiceless palatal approximant distinct from the fricative. The approximant may be represented in the IPA as ⟨j̊⟩.

Features

Voiceless palatal fricative (ç)
Voiceless palatal fricative (ç)

Features of the voiceless palatal fricative:

Occurrence

Palatal

Language Word IPA Meaning Notes
Assamese সীমা / xima [ç̠ima] 'limit/border'
Azerbaijani[3] Some dialects çörək [tʃœˈɾæç] 'bread' Allophone of /c/.
Chinese Taizhou dialect 嬉 [çi] 'to play' Corresponds to alveolo-palatal /ɕ/ in other Wu dialects.
Standard 票 / piào [pʰj̊äʊ̯˥˩] 'ticket' Common allophony of /j/ after aspirated consonants. Some transcriptions may use [pʰjäw˥˩] instead. See Standard Chinese phonology
Danish Standard[4] pjaske [ˈpçæskə] 'splash' May be alveolo-palatal [ɕ] instead.[4] Before /j/, aspiration of /p, t, k/ is realized as devoicing and fortition of /j/.[4] Note, however, that the sequence /tj/ is normally realized as an affricate [t͡ɕ].[5] See Danish phonology
Dutch Standard Northern[6] wiegje [ˈʋiçjə] 'crib' Allophone of /x/ before /j/ for some speakers.[6] See Dutch phonology
English Australian[7] hue [çʉː] 'hue' Phonetic realization of the sequence /hj/.[7][8][9] See Australian English phonology and English phonology
British[8][9]
Scouse[10] like [laɪ̯ç] 'like' Allophone of /k/; ranges from palatal to uvular, depending on the preceding vowel.[10] See English phonology
Estonian vihm [viçm] 'rain' Allophone of /h/. See Estonian phonology
Finnish vihko [ʋiçko̞] 'notebook' Allophone of /h/. See Finnish phonology
German nicht [nɪçt] (help·info) 'not' Traditionally allophone of /x/, or vice versa, but phonemic for some speakers who have both /aːx/ and /aːç/ (< /aʁç/). See Standard German phonology.
Haida xíl [çɪ́l] 'leaf'
Hmong White (Dawb) xya [ça] 'seven' Corresponds to alveolo-palatal /ɕ/ in Dananshan dialect
Green (Njua)
Hungarian[11] kapj [ˈkɒpç] 'get' (imperative) Allophone of /j/ between a voiceless obstruent and a word boundary. See Hungarian phonology
Icelandic hérna [ˈçɛrtn̥a] 'here' See Icelandic phonology
Irish a Sheáin [ə çaːnʲ] 'John' (voc.) See Irish phonology
Jalapa Mazatec[12] [example needed] Described as an approximant. Contrasts with plain voiced /j/ and glottalized voiced /ȷ̃/.[12]
Japanese[13] 人 / hito [çi̥to̞] 'person' Allophone of /h/ before /i/ and /j/. See Japanese phonology
Kabyle ḵtil [çtil] 'to measure'
Korean 힘 / him [çim] 'strength' Allophone of /h/ word-initially before /i/ and /j/. See Korean phonology
Norwegian Urban East[14] kjekk [çe̞kː] 'handsome' Often alveolo-palatal [ɕ] instead; younger speakers in Bergen, Stavanger and Oslo merge it with /ʂ/.[14] See Norwegian phonology
Pashto Ghilji dialect[15] پښه‎ [pça] 'foot' See Pashto phonology
Wardak dialect
Romanian Standard vlahi [vlaç] 'valahians' Allophone of /h/ before /i/. Typically transcribed with [hʲ]. See Romanian phonology
Russian Standard[16] твёрдый / tvjordyj [ˈt̪ʋʲɵrd̪ɨ̞ç] (help·info) 'hard' Possible realization of /j/.[16] See Russian phonology
Scottish Gaelic[17] eich [eç] 'horses' See Scottish Gaelic phonology and orthography
Sicilian ciumi [ˈçumɪ] 'river' Allophone of /ʃ/ and, before atonic syllables, of /t͡ʃ/. This is the natural Sicilian evolution of any Latin word containing a〈-FL-〉nexus. See Sicilian phonology
Spanish Chilean[18] mujer [muˈçe̞ɾ] 'woman' Allophone of /x/ before front vowels. See Spanish phonology
Turkish[19] hile [çiːle] 'trick' Allophone of /h/.[19] See Turkish phonology
Walloon texhe [tɛç] 'to knit'
Welsh hiaith [çaɪ̯θ] 'language' Occurs in words where /h/ comes before /j/ due to h-prothesis of the original word, i.e. jaɪ̯θ iaith 'language' becomes ei hiaith 'her language', resulting in /j/ i → /ç/ hi.[20] See Welsh phonology

Post-palatal

Language Word IPA Meaning Notes
Belarusian глухі / hluxí [ɣɫuˈxʲi] 'deaf' Typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨xʲ⟩. See Belarusian phonology
Dutch Standard Belgian[6] acht [ɑx̟t] 'eight' May be velar [x] instead.[6] See Dutch phonology
Southern accents[6]
Greek[21] ψυχή / psychí [ps̠iˈç̠i] (help·info) 'soul' See Modern Greek phonology
Limburgish Weert dialect[22] ich [ɪ̞x̟] 'I' Allophone of /x/ before and after front vowels.[22] See Weert dialect phonology
Lithuanian[23][24] chemija Very rare;[25] typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨xʲ⟩. See Lithuanian phonology
Russian Standard[16] хинди / xindi [ˈx̟indʲɪ] 'Hindi' Typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨xʲ⟩. See Russian phonology
Spanish[26] mujer [muˈx̟e̞ɾ] 'woman' Allophone of /x/ before front vowels.[26] See Spanish phonology
Ukrainian хід / xid [x̟id̪] 'course' Typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨xʲ⟩. See Ukrainian phonology
Uzbek[27] xurma [x̟urma] 'date palm' Weakly fricated; occurs word-initially and pre-consonantally, otherwise it is post-velar [x̠].[27]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996), pp. 167–168.
  2. ^ Instead of "post-palatal", it can be called "retracted palatal", "backed palatal", "palato-velar", "pre-velar", "advanced velar", "fronted velar" or "front-velar". For simplicity, this article uses only the term "post-palatal".
  3. ^ Damirchizadeh (1972), p. 96.
  4. ^ a b c Basbøll (2005), pp. 65–66.
  5. ^ Grønnum (2005), p. 148.
  6. ^ a b c d e Collins & Mees (2003), p. 191.
  7. ^ a b Cox & Fletcher (2017), p. 159.
  8. ^ a b Roach (2009), p. 43.
  9. ^ a b Wells, John C (2009-01-29), "A huge query", John Wells's phonetic blog, retrieved 2016-03-13
  10. ^ a b Watson (2007), p. 353.
  11. ^ Siptár & Törkenczy (2007), p. 205.
  12. ^ a b Silverman et al. (1995), p. 83.
  13. ^ Okada (1999), p. 118.
  14. ^ a b Kristoffersen (2000), p. 23.
  15. ^ Henderson (1983), p. 595.
  16. ^ a b c Yanushevskaya & Bunčić (2015), p. 223.
  17. ^ Oftedal (1956), p. ?.
  18. ^ Palatal phenomena in Spanish phonology Archived 2021-11-23 at the Wayback Machine Page 113
  19. ^ a b Göksel & Kerslake (2005:6)
  20. ^ Ball & Watkins (1993), pp. 300–301.
  21. ^ Arvaniti (2007), p. 20.
  22. ^ a b Heijmans & Gussenhoven (1998), p. 108.
  23. ^ Mathiassen (1996), pp. 22–23).
  24. ^ Ambrazas et al. (1997), p. 36.
  25. ^ Ambrazas et al. (1997), p. 35.
  26. ^ a b Canellada & Madsen (1987), p. 21.
  27. ^ a b Sjoberg (1963), p. 11.

References

  • Ambrazas, Vytautas; Geniušienė, Emma; Girdenis, Aleksas; Sližienė, Nijolė; Valeckienė, Adelė; Valiulytė, Elena; Tekorienė, Dalija; Pažūsis, Lionginas (1997), Ambrazas, Vytautas (ed.), Lithuanian Grammar, Vilnius: Institute of the Lithuanian Language, ISBN 978-9986-813-22-4
  • Arvaniti, Amalia (2007), "Greek Phonetics: The State of the Art" (PDF), Journal of Greek Linguistics, 8: 97–208, CiteSeerX 10.1.1.692.1365, doi:10.1075/jgl.8.08arv, archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-11, retrieved 2013-12-11
  • Basbøll, Hans (2005), The Phonology of Danish, ISBN 978-0-203-97876-4
  • Canellada, María Josefa; Madsen, John Kuhlmann (1987), Pronunciación del español: lengua hablada y literaria, Madrid: Castalia, ISBN 978-8470394836
  • Collins, Beverley; Mees, Inger M. (2003) [First published 1981], The Phonetics of English and Dutch (5th ed.), Leiden: Brill Publishers, ISBN 978-9004103405
  • Cox, Felicity; Fletcher, Janet (2017) [First published 2012], Australian English Pronunciation and Transcription (2nd ed.), Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-1-316-63926-9
  • Damirchizadeh, A (1972), Modern Azerbaijani Language: Phonetics, Orthoepy and Orthography, Maarif Publ
  • Göksel, Asli; Kerslake, Celia (2005), Turkish: a comprehensive grammar, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415114943
  • Grønnum, Nina (2005), Fonetik og fonologi, Almen og Dansk (3rd ed.), Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, ISBN 978-87-500-3865-8
  • Heijmans, Linda; Gussenhoven, Carlos (1998), "The Dutch dialect of Weert" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 28 (1–2): 107–112, doi:10.1017/S0025100300006307, S2CID 145635698
  • Henderson, Michael M. T. (1983), "Four Varieties of Pashto", Journal of the American Oriental Society, 103 (3): 595–597, doi:10.2307/602038, JSTOR 602038
  • Kristoffersen, Gjert (2000), The Phonology of Norwegian, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-823765-5
  • Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996), The sounds of the World's Languages, Oxford: Blackwell, ISBN 978-0-631-19815-4
  • Mathiassen, Terje (1996), A Short Grammar of Lithuanian, Slavica Publishers, Inc., ISBN 978-0893572679
  • Oftedal, M. (1956), The Gaelic of Leurbost, Oslo: Norsk Tidskrift for Sprogvidenskap
  • Okada, Hideo (1999), "Japanese", in International Phonetic Association (ed.), Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet, Cambridge University Press, pp. 117–119, ISBN 978-0-52163751-0
  • Pop, Sever (1938), Micul Atlas Linguistic Român, Muzeul Limbii Române Cluj
  • Roach, Peter (2009), English Phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course, vol. 1 (4th ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-71740-3
  • Silverman, Daniel; Blankenship, Barbara; Kirk, Paul; Ladefoged, Peter (1995), "Phonetic Structures in Jalapa Mazatec", Anthropological Linguistics, The Trustees of Indiana University, 37 (1): 70–88, JSTOR 30028043
  • Siptár, Péter; Törkenczy, Miklós (2007), The Phonology of Hungarian, The Phonology of the World's Languages, Oxford University Press
  • Sjoberg, Andrée F. (1963), Uzbek Structural Grammar, Uralic and Altaic Series, vol. 18, Bloomington: Indiana University
  • Watson, Kevin (2007), "Liverpool English" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 37 (3): 351–360, doi:10.1017/s0025100307003180
  • Yanushevskaya, Irena; Bunčić, Daniel (2015), "Russian", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 45 (2): 221–228, doi:10.1017/S0025100314000395
  • Ball, Martin J.; Watkins, T. Arwyn (1993), The Celtic Languages, Routledge Reference Grammars, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-28080-8

External links

International Phonetic Alphabet (chart)
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