Secondary articulation
In
Types
There are several kinds of secondary articulation supported by the International Phonetic Alphabet:
- Labialization is the most frequently encountered secondary articulation. For example, labialized [kʷ] has a primary velar plosive articulation, [k], with simultaneous [w]-like rounding of the lips, thus the name. It is in contrast to the doubly articulated labial-velar consonant [k͡p], which is articulated with two overlapping plosive articulations, [k] and [p].
- alveolar plosivearticulation, [t], with simultaneous [j]-like (i.e. y-like) raising of the body of the tongue.
- Labio-palatalization is simultaneous labialization and palatalization. It is found, for example, in the name Twi. [ᶣ]
- "dark" L, [lˠ].
- Pharyngealization is a constriction in the throat (pharynx) and is found in the Arabic "emphatic" consonants such as [sˤ].
- Glottalization involves action of the glottis in addition to the primary articulation of the consonant.
It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish primary and secondary articulation. For example, the alveolo-palatal consonants [ɕ ʑ] are sometimes characterized as a distinct primary articulation and sometimes as palatalization of postalveolar fricatives, equivalent to [ʃʲ ʒʲ] or [s̠ʲ z̠ʲ].
Transcription
The most common method of transcription in the IPA is to turn the letter corresponding to the secondary articulation into a superscript written after the letter for the primary articulation. For example, the w in ⟨kʷ⟩ is written after the k. This can be misleading, as it iconically suggests that the [k] is released into a [w] sound, analogous to ⟨kˡ kⁿ⟩ ([k] with a lateral and nasal release), when actually the two articulations of [kʷ] are generally pronounced more-or-less simultaneously. Secondary articulation often has a strong effect on surrounding
There is a longstanding tradition in the IPA that one may turn any IPA letter into a superscript, and in so doing impart its features to the base consonant. For instance, [ʃˢ] would be an articulation of [ʃ] that has qualities of [s].
The 2015 edition of the Extensions to the International Phonetic Alphabet formally advocates superscript letters for the first time since 1989, specifically for the release of plosives.[2]
See also
- Labialization
- Labio-palatalization
- Palatalization (phonetics)
- Pharyngealization
- Velarization
- superscript Latin and Greek letters
References
- JSTOR 44541414. Reprinted in MacMahon (2010), p. 271.
- S2CID 151863976.
Sources
- MacMahon, Michael K. C. (2010). "The International Phonetic Alphabet". In Malmkjaer, Kirsten (ed.). The Routledge Linguistics Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). Routledge. pp. 269–275. ISBN 978-0-415-42104-1.