Trill consonant

In [[phonetics]], a '''trill''' is a [[consonant]]al sound [[manner of articulation|produced]] by vibrations between the [[active articulator]] and [[passive articulator]]. [[Standard Spanish]] {{angbr|[[rr (digraph)|rr]]}} as in {{Langx|es|perro|label=none}}, for example, is an [[alveolar trill]].

A trill is made by the articulator being held in place and the airstream causing it to vibrate. Usually a trill vibrates for 2–3 contacts, but may up to 5, or even more if [[geminate consonant|geminate]].{{sfnp|Ladefoged|Maddieson|1996|p=218}} However, trills may also be produced with only one contact. While single-contact trills are similar to [[Flap consonant|taps and flaps]], a tap or flap differs from a trill in that it is made by a muscular contraction rather than an airstream.{{sfnp|Ladefoged|Johnson|2010|p=175}} Individuals with [[ankyloglossia]] may have issues producing the trill sound.

== Phonemic trills == Trill consonants included in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]]: * {{IPA|[ʙ]}} – [[Voiced bilabial trill]] * {{IPA|[ʙ̥]}} – [[Voiceless bilabial trill]] * {{IPA|[r]}} – [[Voiced alveolar trill]] * {{IPA|[r̥]}} – [[Voiceless alveolar trill]] * {{IPA|[ɽ͡r]}} – [[Voiced retroflex trill]] * {{IPA|[ɽ͡r̥]}} – [[Voiceless retroflex trill]] * {{IPA|[ʀ]}} – [[Voiced uvular trill]] * {{IPA|[ʀ̥]}} – [[Voiceless uvular trill]] * {{IPA|[ʢ]}} – [[Voiced epiglottal trill]] * {{IPA|[ʜ]}} – [[Voiceless epiglottal trill]]

In addition, * {{IPA|[𝼀]}} – [[Velopharyngeal trill]]; the [[velopharyngeal fricative]] {{IPA|[ʩ]}} found in disordered speech sometimes involves trilling of the velopharyngeal port, producing a 'snort'.

The bilabial trill is uncommon. The coronal trill is most frequently [[alveolar consonant|alveolar]] {{IPA|[r͇]}}, but [[dental consonant|dental]] and [[postalveolar consonant|postalveolar]] articulations {{IPA|[r̪]}} and {{IPA|[r̠]}} also occur. An alleged [[retroflex trill]] found in [[Toda language|Toda]] has been transcribed {{IPA|[ɽ]}} (that is, the same as the [[retroflex flap]]), but might be less ambiguously written {{IPA|[ɽr]}}, as only the onset is retroflex, with the actual trill being alveolar. The epiglottal trills are identified by the IPA as fricatives, with the trilling assumed to be [[allophone|allophonic]]. However, analyzing the sounds as trills may be more economical.{{sfnp|Esling|2010|p=695}} There are also so-called [[strident vowel]]s which are accompanied by epiglottal trill.

{{anchor|Impossible ones}}The cells in the IPA chart for the [[velar consonant|velar]], [[pharyngeal consonant|(upper) pharyngeal]], and [[glottal consonant|glottal]] places of articulation are shaded as impossible. The glottis quite readily vibrates, but this occurs as the [[phonation]] of vowels and consonants, not as a consonant of its own. Dorso-palatal and velar vibratory motions of the tongue are occasionally produced, especially during the release of dorsal stops,{{sfnp|Ladefoged|Maddieson|1996|p=230}} and ''ingressive'' [[#Velar trill|velar trills]] occur in snoring, but not in normal speech. The upper pharyngeal tract cannot reliably produce a trill, but the epiglottis does, and epiglottal trills are pharyngeal in the broad sense.{{sfnp|Esling|2010|p=688}} A partially devoiced uvular or pre-uvular (i.e. between velar and uvular) trill {{IPA|[ʀ̝̊]}} with some frication occurs as a [[Syllable#Coda|coda]] allophone of {{IPA|/ʀ/}} in the [[Limburgish language|Limburgish]] dialects of [[Maastricht]] and [[Weert]].{{sfnp|Gussenhoven|Aarts|1999|p=156}}{{sfnp|Heijmans|Gussenhoven|1998|p=108}}

Voiceless trills occur phonemically in e.g. [[Welsh language|Welsh]] and [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]]. (See also [[voiceless alveolar trill]], [[voiceless retroflex trill]], [[voiceless uvular trill]].) Mangbetu and [[Ninde language|Ninde]] have phonemically voiceless bilabial trills.

The [[Czech language]] has two contrastive alveolar trills, one a fricative trill (written ''ř'' in the orthography). In the fricative trill the tongue is raised, so that there is audible [[fricative consonant|frication]] during the trill, sounding a little like a simultaneous {{IPA|[r]}} and {{IPA|[ʐ]}} (or {{IPA|[r̥]}} and {{IPA|[ʂ]}} when devoiced). A symbol for this sound, {{IPA|[ɼ]}}, has been dropped from the IPA, and it is now generally transcribed as a raised ''r'', {{IPA|[r̝]}}.

[[Nuosu Yi]] has two labiodental fricativized vowels {{IPA|[v͡ʊ v̙͡ɵ̙]}} (phonemically {{IPA|/u u/}}, with the underline indicating tenseness) in which the initial fricative elements are often realized as voiceless or voiced bilabial trills {{IPA|[ʙ̥ ʙ]}} following bilabial and alveolar plosives; both the lax and tense variants may be either type of voicing, depending on the context.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Edmondson |first1=Jerold A. |last2=Esling |first2=John H. |author2-link=John Esling |last3=Ziwo |first3=Lama |title=Nuosu Yi (Illustrations of the IPA) |journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association |volume=47 |issue=1 |date=April 2017 |pp=87-97 |doi=10.1017/S0025100315000444}}</ref>

A number of languages have [[trilled affricate]]s such as {{IPA|[mbʙ]}} and {{IPA|[dʳ]}}. The [[Chapacuran languages]] [[Wariʼ language|Wariʼ]], [[Itene language|Itene]], and [[Oro Win language|Oro Win]], as well as the [[Naga language]] [[Sangtam language|Sangtam]], have a very unusual trilled phoneme, a [[voiceless bilabially post-trilled dental stop]], {{IPA|[t̪͡ʙ̥]}}.

A nasal trill {{IPA|[r̃]}} has been described from some dialects of Romanian, and is posited as an intermediate historical step in [[Rhotacism (sound change)|rhotacism]]. However, the phonetic variation of the sound is considerable, and it is not clear how frequently it is actually trilled.{{sfnp|Sampson|1999|pp=312–3}} In [[Inor_language|Inor]], {{IPA|[n]}} can mutate to {{IPA|[r̃]}}, often when prefixes are attached to words beginning with {{IPA|[n]}}, resulting in nasal [[vowel-consonant harmony]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Abza |first=Tsehay |date=2016 |editor2-last=Janne Bondi Johannessen |editor2-link=Janne Bondi Johannessen |title=Consonants and Vowels in the Western Gurage Variety Inor: Complex Connections between Phonemes, Allophones, and Free Alternations |journal=Oslo Studies in Language |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=31–54 |doi=10.5617/osla.4416 |doi-access=free |editor1=Binyam Sisay Mendisu}}</ref> Despite these examples, no language is known to contrast {{IPA|[r̃]}} phonemically.

== Paralinguistic trills == A [[linguolabial consonant|linguolabial]] trill {{IPA|[r̼]}} (or, more precisely, a labiolingual trill {{IPA|[r᫥]}}) is not known to be used phonemically but occurs when [[blowing a raspberry]].<ref>{{citation| last=Odden |first=David |title=Introducing Phonology |year=2005 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |place=New York |isbn=978-0-511-10970-6 |quote-page=130 |quote=Even staying within the vocal tract, languages also do not, for example, use whistles or inhalation to form speech sounds, nor is a labiolingual trill (a.k.a. "the raspberry") a speech sound in any language. It is important to understand that even though these various odd sounds are not language sounds, they may still be used in communication.}}</ref>

{{anchor|Velar trill}}[[Snoring]] typically consists of vibration of the uvula and the [[soft palate]] (velum), which may be described as an [[ingressive sound|ingressive]] velic trill.<ref>University of Hawaii ''Working Papers in Linguistics'', 1969, Volume 1, Parts 4–6, Page 115.</ref>{{efn|'Velic' is the term in Pike (1948) for [[velopharyngeal]]: articulation between the upper surface of the velum and the back wall of the [[naso-pharynx]];<ref>Bertil Malmberg & [[Louise Kaiser]], 1968, ''Manual of phonetics'', North-Holland, p. 325</ref> this usage of the term can be found in the 1995 preview of the ''Handbook of the IPA'' (Figure 2),<ref>{{citation|title=Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association|volume=25|number=1|year=1995|pages=3–47|jstor=44526849}}</ref> but was removed in the 1999 published version.}} Like the uvular trill, the ingressive velic trill does not involve the tongue; it is the velum that passively vibrates in the airstream. The ''[[Speculative Grammarian]]'' has proposed a jocular symbol for the sound (and also the sound used to imitate a pig's snort), a wide O with a double dot ([[ꙫ]]), suggesting a pig's snout.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://specgram.com/CLI.3/02.letters.html|title=SpecGram—Letters to the Editor|work=specgram.com}}</ref> The [[Extensions to the IPA]] identifies an egressive fricative pronounced with this same configuration, common with a [[cleft palate]], as [[velopharyngeal]] {{IPA|[ʩ]}}, and with accompanying uvular trill as {{IPA|[ʩ𐞪]}} ({{IPA|[ʩʀ]}}) or {{IPA|[𝼀]}} ([[File:Feng trill.svg|12px|class=skin-invert]]).<ref>Unicode support from 2021.</ref>

[[Lateral consonant|Lateral]] trills are also possible and may be pronounced by initiating {{IPA|[ɬ]}} or {{IPA|[ɮ]}} with an especially forceful airflow.{{clarify|date=October 2025|reason=wouldn't this make lateral fricative trills? standard lateral trills would be rapid succession of lateral taps.}} There is no symbol for them in the IPA.

[[Ejective consonant|Ejective]] trills are not known from any language although they are easy to produce. {{IPA|[rʼ]}} may occur as [[linguistic mimesis|mimesis]] of a cat's purr.{{cn|date=October 2025}}

== Summary == {|class=wikitable |+Attested trilled consonants (excluding secondary phonations and articulations) Sounds in yellow are only attested in [[disordered speech]] ([[extIPA]]). Sounds in red are only attested from mimesis. |- align=center ! ! colspan=2|[[Labial consonant|Labial]] ! colspan=2|[[Linguolabial consonant|Labio- lingual]] ! colspan=2|[[Dental consonant|Dental]] ! colspan=2|[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]] ! colspan=2|[[Postalveolar consonant|Post- alveolar]] ! colspan=2|[[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]] ! colspan=2|[[Uvular consonant|Uvular]] ! colspan=2|[[Velopharyngeal consonant|Velo- pharyngeal]] ! colspan=2|[[Pharyngeal consonant|Epiglottal]] |- align=center ! Plain | {{IPA common/audiocell|ʙ̥}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|ʙ}} | {{na|text={{IPA common/audiocell|r̼̊}}}} | {{na|text={{IPA common/audiocell|r̼}}}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|r̪̊}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|r̪}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|r̥}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|r}} | | {{IPA common/audiocell|r̠}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|ɽr̥}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|ɽr}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|ʀ̥}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|ʀ}} | | |rowspan=2| {{IPA common/audiocell|ʜ}} |rowspan=2| {{IPA common/audiocell|ʢ}} |- align=center ! [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]] | | | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|r̝̊}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|r̝}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|ʀ̝̊}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|ʀ̝}} | {{MaybeCheck|text={{IPA common/audiocell|𝼀}}}} | {{MaybeCheck|text={{IPA common/audiocell|𝼀̬}}}} |- align=center ! [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]] | {{IPA common/audiocell|p͡ʙ̥}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|b͜ʙ}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|t͡r̥}} | {{IPA common/audiocell|d͜r}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | {{IPA|}} | style="background: gray;" colspan="2"| |{{IPA link|ʡ͜ʜ}} |{{IPA link|ʡ͜ʢ}} |}

== See also == * [[List of phonetics topics]] * [[Bronx cheer (gesture)]]

== Notes == {{notelist}}

== References == {{reflist}} == Bibliography == {{refbegin}} * {{citation |last=Esling |first=John H. |year=2010 |chapter=Phonetic Notation |editor1-last=Hardcastle |editor1-first=William J. |editor2-last=Laver |editor2-first=John |editor3-last=Gibbon |editor3-first=Fiona E. |title=The Handbook of Phonetic Sciences |edition=2nd |pages=678–702 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |doi=10.1002/9781444317251.ch18 |isbn=978-1-4051-4590-9 }} * {{citation |year=1999 |last1=Gussenhoven |last2=Aarts |first1=Carlos |first2=Flor |title=The dialect of Maastricht |url=http://gep.ruhosting.nl/carlos/gussenhoven_aarts.pdf |journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=155–166 |publisher=University of Nijmegen, Centre for Language Studies |doi=10.1017/S0025100300006526 |s2cid=145782045 }} * {{citation |year=1998 |last1=Heijmans |last2=Gussenhoven |first1=Linda |first2=Carlos |title=The Dutch dialect of Weert |url=http://gep.ruhosting.nl/carlos/weert.pdf |journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association |volume=28 |issue=1–2 |pages=107–112 |doi=10.1017/S0025100300006307 |s2cid=145635698 }} * {{SOWL|mode=cs2}} * {{citation |last1=Ladefoged |first1=Peter |authorlink1=Peter Ladefoged |last2=Johnson |first2=Keith |year=2010 |title=A Course in Phonetics |edition=6th |publisher=Wadsworth |isbn=978-1-42823126-9 }} * {{citation |last=Sampson |first=Rodney |year=1999 |title=Nasal Vowel Evolution in Romance |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-823848-7 }} {{refend}}

[[Category:Manner of articulation]] [[Category:Trill consonants| ]]