Labio-palatalization
A labio-palatalized (sometimes "labial-palatal" but see below) sound is one that is simultaneously labialized and palatalized. The symbol in the IPA for this secondary articulation is <ɥ>, a superscript <ɥ>, the symbol for the Labio-palatal approximant. Labio-palatal sounds are very rare, because their presence is dependent upon that of extremely marked front rounded vowels [[open-mid front rounded vowel|œ]], [[close-mid front rounded vowel|ø]] and [[close front rounded vowel|y]][1]. The labial-palatal approximant occurs in Mandarin Chinese, French and in a few languages without front rounded vowels in the Caucasus and Africa (Akan).[2]
True coarticulated labial-palatal consonants are known to be theoretically possible[3] but the above-mentioned condition for their presence makes their evolution impossible in practice. Despite the fact that no documented language contains them, the International Phonetic Alphabet does offer the possibility of transcribing labial-palatal plosives, analogous to the voiced and voiceless labial-velar plosives except that the order of the two closures is reversed.
In Russian, /o/ and /u/ trigger labialization of any preceding consonant, including palatalized consonants, so that нёс ('he carried') is pronounced [nɥos].
List of labio-palatal and labial-palatal consonants with IPA symbols[4]
| IPA | Description |
|---|---|
| p͡c | voiceless labial-palatal plosive |
| b͡ɟ | voiced labial-palatal plosive |
| m͡ɲ | labial-palatal nasal |
| cʷ | labialized voiceless palatal plosive |
| ɟʷ | labialized voiced palatal plosive |
| çʷ | labialized voiceless palatal fricative |
| ʝʷ | labialized voiced palatal fricative |
See also
References
- ^ Maddieson, Ian; Patterns of Sounds (Cambridge Studies in Speech Science and Communication); p. 95; ISBN 0521265363
- ^ Maddieson, Ian; Patterns of Sounds; pp. 92 and 292
- ^ Segmental phonology (see pp. 7-8)
- ^ Ibid