Labialization

{{short description|Secondary articulatory feature of sounds in some languages}} {{redirect|Lip rounding|the lip rounding of vowels|Roundedness}} {{Multiple issues| {{Full citations needed|date=January 2026}} {{More citations needed|date=January 2026}}}} {{Infobox IPA | above = Labial(-velar)ized with protrusion (rounded lips) | ipa symbol = ◌ʷ | decimal = 695 | imagefile = IPA Unicode 0x02B7.svg }} {{Infobox IPA | above = Labialized with compression (flat lips) | ipa symbol = ◌ᵝ | decimal = 7517 | imagefile = Unicode 0x1D5D.svg }} {{Sound change}} '''Labialization''' is a secondary articulatory feature of sounds in some languages. Consonants pronounced this way are said to be '''labialized''' and are usually transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet by affixing a superscript ''w'', {{angbr IPA|ʷ}}, to the base letter. Labialized sounds involve the lips while the remainder of the oral cavity produces another sound. The term is normally restricted to consonants. When vowels involve the lips, they are called rounded.

In phonology, "labialization" may also refer to a type of assimilation process.

==Labialized consonants==

The most common labialized consonants are labialized velars. Most other labialized sounds also have simultaneous velarization, and the process may then be more precisely called '''labio-velarization'''. The labialization of bilabial consonants, though generally transcribed with {{angbr IPA|◌ʷ}} as if it were labiovelar, is often a '''protrusion''' of the lips without velarization of the tongue.

Labialization has been attested with pulmonic, implosive, ejective and click consonants. All places and manners of pulmonic consonants are attested with labialized variants, with the possible exception of the epiglottals.

== Occurrence == {{unreferenced section|date=January 2026}} Labialization is the most widespread secondary articulation in the world's languages. It is phonemically contrastive in Northwest Caucasian (e.g. Adyghe), Athabaskan, and Salishan language families, among others. This contrast is reconstructed also for Proto-Indo-European, the common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, and it survives in Latin and some Romance languages. It is also found in the Cushitic and Ethio-Semitic languages.

American English labializes {{IPA|/r, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/}} to various degrees.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

A few languages, including Arrernte, have contrastive labialized forms for nearly all of their consonants.

In many Salishan languages, such as Klallam, velar consonants only occur in their labialized forms (except /k/, which occurs in some loanwords); however, uvular consonants occur abundantly labialized and unrounded.

==Types== {{Infobox IPA | above = Open-labialized | ipa symbol = ◌ꟹ | ipa number = | decimal1 = }} {{Infobox IPA | above = Labiodentalized | ipa symbol = ◌ᶹ | ipa number = | decimal1 = }} {{Infobox IPA | above = Labio-palatalized | ipa symbol = ◌ᶣ | ipa number = | decimal1 = }}

Out of 706 language inventories surveyed by {{Harvcoltxt|Ruhlen|1976}}, labialization occurred most often with velar (42%) and uvular (15%) segments and least often with dental and alveolar segments. With non-dorsal consonants, labialization may include velarization as well. Labialization is not restricted to lip-rounding. The following articulations have either been described as labialization or been found as allophonic realizations of prototypical labialization:

* Labiodental frication, found in Abkhaz<ref name="ARA">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ApzO7A7-xcUC&q=abkhaz+labialized|title = Annual Review of Anthropology|year = 1977|isbn = 9780824319069| last1=Siegel | first1=Bernard J. | publisher=Annual Reviews Incorporated }}</ref> * Labiodentalization is a common idiosyncrasy of English {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/z/}}, and especially of {{IPA|/r/}}.<ref>John Laver [1994: 321] ''Principles of Phonetics''</ref> * Complete bilabial closure, {{IPA|[d͡b, t͡p, t͡pʼ]}}, found in Abkhaz and Ubykh<ref name="ARA" /> * "Labialization" ({{IPA|/w/}}, {{IPA|/ɡʷ/}}, and {{IPA|/kʷ/}}) without noticeable rounding (protrusion) of the lips, found in the Iroquoian languages{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}. It may be that they are compressed.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} * Rounding without velarization, found in Shona{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} and in the Bzyb dialect of Abkhaz.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

Eastern Arrernte has labialization at all places and manners of articulation; this derives historically from adjacent rounded vowels, as is also the case of the Northwest Caucasian languages. Marshallese also has phonemic labialization as a secondary articulation at all places of articulation except for labial consonants and coronal obstruents.

In North America, languages from a number of families have sounds that sound labialized (and vowels that sound rounded) without the participation of the lips.{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}} Tillamook is an example.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thompson |first=Laurence C. |last2=Thompson |first2=M. Terry |date=1966 |title=A Fresh Look at Tillamook Phonology |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/464920 |journal=International Journal of American Linguistics |language=en |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=313–319 |doi=10.1086/464920 |issn=0020-7071|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Similarly to the distinction between the labio-palatal {{IPA|[ɥ]}} and labio-velar {{IPA|[w]}} semivowels, some languages exhibit labio-palatalization {{IPA|[ᶣ]}}, rather than labio-velarization {{IPA|[ʷ]}}.

=== Prelabialization === In Slovene, sounds can be prelabialized. Furthermore, the change is phonemic and all phonemes have prelabialized pairs (though not all of their allophones can have pairs). Compare {{Wikt-lang|sl|stati}} 'stand' {{IPA|[ˈs̪t̪àːt̪í]}} and {{Wikt-lang|sl|vstati}} 'stand up' {{IPA|[ˈʷs̪t̪àːt̪í]}}. The prelabialization part, however, is usually not considered as being part of the same phoneme as prelabialized sound, but rather as an allophone of {{IPA|/ʋ/}} as it changes depending on the environment, e. g. {{Wikt-lang|sl|vzeti}} 'take' {{IPA|[ˈʷz̪èːt̪í]}} and {{Wikt-lang|sl|povzeti}} 'summarize' {{IPA|[pou̯ˈz̪èːt̪í]}}.<ref>{{citation |last=Jurgec |first=Peter |title=Novejše besedje s stališča fonologije Primer slovenščine |page=95 |year=2007 |location=Tromsø |language=sl}}</ref> See Slovene phonology for more details.

==Transcription== In the International Phonetic Alphabet, protruded labialization is indicated with a raised {{angbr IPA|w}} modifier {{IPA|[ʷ]}}, as in {{IPA|/kʷ/}}. There are also diacritics, respectively {{IPA|[ɔ̹], [ɔ̜]}}, to indicate greater or lesser degrees of rounding.<ref>As a mnemonic, the more-rounded diacritics resemble the rounded vowel {{angbr IPA|ɔ}}.</ref> These are normally used with vowels but may occur with consonants. For example, in Hupa, an Athabaskan language, voiceless velar fricatives distinguish three degrees of labialization, transcribed either {{IPA|/x/, /x̹/, /xʷ/}} or {{IPA|/x/, /x̜ʷ/, /xʷ/}}.

The VoQS system has two additional symbols for degrees of rounding, originally introduced as part of the extensions to the IPA: Spread {{IPA|[i͍]}} and open-rounded {{IPA|[ʃꟹ]}} (as in English and French{{sfnp|Ladefoged|Maddieson|1996|p=148}}). It also has a symbol for labiodentalized sounds, {{IPA|[tᶹ]}}, which the IPA ''Handbook'' (1999) states may also be used for protruded labialization if {{angbr IPA|ʷ}} is additionally specifying simultaneous velarization.<ref>{{cite book|author=International Phonetic Association|year=1999|title=Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet|publisher=Cambridge University Press|pages=17, 190|isbn=978-0-52163751-0}}</ref>

If precision is desired, the Abkhaz and Ubykh articulations may be transcribed with the appropriate fricative or trill raised as a diacritic: {{IPA|[tᵛ]}}, {{IPA|[tᵝ]}}, {{IPA|[t𐞄]}}, {{IPA|[tᵖ]}}.

For simple labialization, {{Harvcoltxt|Ladefoged|Maddieson|1996}} resurrected an old IPA symbol, {{IPA|[&nbsp;̫]}},<ref>This is not a subscript ''w'' but originally a subscript omega that "recalls the letter ''w''" (Jespersen & Pedersen, 1926, ''Phonetic Transcription and Transliteration: Proposals of the Copenhagen Conference, April 1925.'' Oxford University Press).</ref> which would be placed above a letter with a descender such as {{IPA|ɡ}}. However, their chief example is Shona ''sv'' and ''zv,'' which they transcribe {{IPA|/s̫/}} and {{IPA|/z̫/}} but which actually seem to be whistled sibilants, without necessarily being labialized.<ref>See [http://www.cefala.org/issp2006/cdrom/articles/shosted.pdf]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516193747/http://www.cefala.org/issp2006/cdrom/articles/shosted.pdf|date=May 16, 2008}}</ref> Another possibility is to use the IPA diacritic for rounding, distinguishing for example the labialization in English ''soon'' {{IPA|[s̹]}} and {{IPA|[sʷ]}} ''swoon''.<ref>John Esling (2010) "Phonetic Notation", in Hardcastle, Laver & Gibbon (eds) ''The Handbook of Phonetic Sciences'', 2nd ed.</ref> The open rounding of English {{IPA|/ʃ/}} is also unvelarized.

==Assimilation== Labialization also refers to a specific type of assimilatory process where a given sound become labialized due to the influence of neighboring labial sounds. For example, {{IPA|/k/}} may become {{IPA|/kʷ/}} in the environment of {{IPA|/o/}}, or {{IPA|/a/}} may become {{IPA|/o/}} in the environment of {{IPA|/p/}} or {{IPA|/kʷ/}}.

In the Northwest Caucasian languages as well as some Australian languages rounding has shifted from the vowels to the consonants, producing a wide range of labialized consonants and leaving in some cases only two phonemic vowels. This appears to have been the case in Ubykh and Eastern Arrernte, for example. The labial vowel sounds usually still remain, but only as allophones next to the now-labial consonant sounds.

==List of labialized consonants== {| class="wikitable" |+ ! colspan ="2" | Type ! width="28%" | Phone !IPA ! Languages |- | rowspan="29" | Stop | rowspan="16" | plain | protruded voiceless bilabial stop | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless bilabial plosive.ogg|[pʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Chaha, Ibaloi, Paha, Eastern Arrernte, Soga |- | protruded voiced bilabial stop | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced bilabial plosive.ogg|[bʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Chaha, Ibaloi, Paha, Mayo, Yaqui |- | lab^zd voiceless dental stop | <big>{{IPA|[t̪ʷ]}}</big> |Soga (marginal) |- | lab^zd voiced dental stop | <big>{{IPA|[d̪ʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte, Soga |- | lab^zd voiceless alveolar stop | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless alveolar plosive.ogg|[tʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Archi, Abkhaz, Lao, Paha, Ubykh, Eastern Arrernte, Soga |- | lab^zd voiced alveolar stop | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced alveolar plosive.ogg|[dʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Archi, Abkhaz, Gua, Ubykh, Soga |- | lab^zd voiceless retroflex stop | <big>{{IPA|[ʈʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- | lab^zd voiceless alveolo-palatal stop | <big>{{IPA|[c̟ʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- | lab^zd voiceless palatal stop | <big>{{IPA|[cʷ]}}</big> |Medumba |- | lab^zd voiced palatal stop | <big>{{IPA|[ɟʷ]}}</big> |Medumba |- | lab^zd voiceless velar stop | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless velar plosive.ogg|[kʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abaza, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Halkomelem, Kabardian, Taos, Chipewyan, Hadza, Gwichʼin, Tlingit, Akan, Nez Perce, Archi, Cantonese, Wariʼ, Chaha, Dahalo, Hausa, Igala, Igbo, Lao, Latin, Nahuatl, Nawat, Okinawan, Ossetic, Paha, Portuguese, Thai, Tigrinya, Hiw, Ubykh, Bearlake Slavey, Breton, Gothic, Eastern Arrernte |- | lab^zd voiced velar stop | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced velar plosive.ogg|[ɡʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abaza, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Akan, Archi, Chaha, Dahalo, Hausa, Okinawan, Oowekyala, Ossetic, Hadza, Ibaloi, Igala, Igbo, Gwichʼin, Kabardian, Paha, Portuguese, Tigrinya, Ubykh, Breton, Yoruba, Gothic |- | lab^zd voiceless uvular stop | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless uvular plosive.ogg|[qʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abaza, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Kabardian, Ossetic, Paha, Tlingit, Nez Perce, Ubykh |- | lab^zd pharyngealized voiceless uvular stop | <big>{{IPA|[qˤʷ]}}</big> | Archi, Ubykh |- | lab^zd voiced uvular stop | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced uvular plosive.ogg|[ɢʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Oowekyala, Kwak'wala, Tsakhur |- | lab^zd glottal stop | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized glottal stop.ogg|[ʔʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Adyghe, Kabardian, Lao, Tlingit |- | rowspan="11" |prenasalized |protruded voiceless bilabial stop | <big>{{IPA|[ᵐpʷ]}}</big> | Soga |- |protruded voiced bilabial stop |<big>{{IPA|[ᵐbʷ]}}</big> |Tamambo, Eastern Arrernte, North Teke, Soga (marginal) |- | lab^zd voiced dental stop | <big>{{IPA|[ⁿd̪ʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte, Soga |- | lab^zd voiceless alveolar stop | <big>{{IPA|[ⁿtʷ]}}</big> |Soga |- | lab^zd voiced alveolar stop | <big>{{IPA|[ⁿdʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte, Soga |- | lab^zd voiced alveolo-palatal stop | <big>{{IPA|[ᶮɟ᫈ʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- | lab^zd voiced retroflex stop |<big>{{IPA|[ᶯɖʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- | lab^zd voiceless palatal stop | <big>{{IPA|[ᶮcʷ]}}</big> |Medumba |- | lab^zd voiced palatal stop | <big>{{IPA|[ᶮɟʷ]}}</big> |Medumba |- | lab^zd voiceless velar stop | <big>{{IPA|[ᵑkʷ]}}</big> |North Teke, Soga |- | lab^zd voiced velar stop | <big>{{IPA|[ᵑɡʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte, North Teke, Soga |- | rowspan = "2" | labial–velar | protruded voiceless labio-velar stop | <big>{{IPA|[k͡pʷ]}}</big> | Dorig, Mwotlap |- | protruded voiced labial–velar stop | <big>{{IPA|[ᵑᵐɡ͡bʷ]}}</big> | Nizaa, Volow |- | rowspan = "11" | Affricate | rowspan = "6" | sibilant | lab^zd voiceless alveolar affricate | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless alveolar affricate.ogg|[t͡sʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Adyghe, Archi, Lezgian, Tsakhur |- | lab^zd voiced alveolar affricate | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced alveolar affricate.ogg|[d͡zʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Adyghe, Dahalo, North Teke |- | lab^zd voiceless postalveolar affricate | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless palato-alveolar affricate.ogg|[t͡ʃʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Archi, Abaza, Adyghe, Paha, Aghul, German |- | lab^zd voiced postalveolar affricate | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced palato-alveolar affricate.ogg|[d͡ʒʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abaza, Aghul, Tsakhur, German |- | lab^zd voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate | <big>{{IPA|[t͡ɕʷ]}}</big> | Abkhaz, Akan, Gua, Ubykh |- | lab^zd voiced alveolo-palatal affricate | <big>{{IPA|[d͡ʑʷ]}}</big> | Abkhaz, Akan, Ubykh |- | rowspan="2" | non-sibilant | lab^zd voiceless velar affricate | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless velar affricate.ogg|[k͡xʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Navajo |- | lab^zd voiceless uvular affricate | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless uvular affricate.ogg|[q͡χʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Kabardian, Lillooet |- | lateral | lab^zd voiceless velar lateral affricate | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless velar lateral affricate.ogg|[k͡𝼄ʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Archi |- | rowspan="2" | prenasalized | lab^zd voiceless postalveolar affricate |<big>{{IPA|[ⁿtʃʷ]}}</big> |North Teke |- | lab^zd voiced postalveolar affricate |<big>{{IPA|[ⁿdʒʷ]}}</big> |North Teke |- | rowspan="29" | Fricative | rowspan="8" | sibilant | lab^zd voiceless alveolar sibilant | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless alveolar sibilant1.ogg|[sʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Archi, Lao, Lezgian, Soga |- | lab^zd voiced alveolar sibilant | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced alveolar sibilant.ogg|[zʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Archi, Tsakhur, Lezgian, Soga |- | lab^zd voiceless postalveolar sibilant | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless alveolar sibilant.ogg|[ʃʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Archi, Abaza, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Paha, Aghul, Ubykh |- | lab^zd voiced postalveolar sibilant | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced palato-alveolar sibilant.ogg|[ʒʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Archi, Abaza, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Aghul, Ubykh |- | lab^zd voiceless retroflex sibilant | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless retroflex sibilant.ogg|[ʂʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Bzhedug |- | lab^zd voiced retroflex sibilant | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced retroflex sibilant.ogg|[ʐʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Bzhedug |- | lab^zd voiceless alveolo-palatal sibilant | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless alveolo-palatal sibilant.ogg|[ɕʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abkhaz, Ubykh |- | lab^zd voiced alveolo-palatal sibilant | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced alveolo-palatal sibilant.ogg|[ʑʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abkhaz, Ubykh |- | rowspan = "15" | non-sibilant | protruded voiceless bilabial fricative | <big>{{IPA|[ɸʷ]}}</big> | Okinawan, Taruma |- | protruded voiced bilabial fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced bilabial fricative.wav|[βʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Tamambo, Soga (contrasts with the labiodental) |- | lab^zd voiceless labiodental fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless labiodental fricative.ogg|[fʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Hadza, Chaha, Gua, Soga |- | lab^zd voiced labiodental fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced labiodental fricative.ogg|[vʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Soga (contrasts with the bilabial), Chichewa<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pbase.phon.chass.ncsu.edu/language/417|title=PBase|website=pbase.phon.chass.ncsu.edu|access-date=2025-10-31}}</ref> |- | lab^zd voiceless dental fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless dental fricative.ogg|[θʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Paha |- | lab^zd voiced dental fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced dental fricative.ogg|[ðʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Paha |- | lab^zd voiceless palatal fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless palatal fricative.ogg|[çʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Akan |- | lab^zd voiceless velar fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless velar fricative.ogg|[xʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abaza, Adyghe, Avestan, Chaha, Halkomelem, Kabardian, Oowekyala, Taos, Navajo, Tigrinya, Lillooet, Tlingit |- | lab^zd voiced velar fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced velar fricative.ogg|[ɣʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abaza, Navajo, Lillooet, Gwichʼin, possibly Proto-Indo-European |- | lab^zd voiceless uvular fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless uvular fricative.ogg|[χʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abkhaz, Adyghe, Archi, Halkomelem, Kabardian, Lillooet, Tlingit, Wariʼ, Chipewyan, Oowekyala, Ossetic, Ubykh |- | lab^zd pharyngealized voiceless uvular fricative | <big>{{IPA|[χˤʷ]}}</big> | Abkhaz, Archi, Ubykh |- | lab^zd voiced uvular fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced uvular fricative.ogg|[ʁʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abkhaz, Adyghe, Chipewyan, Kabardian, Ubykh |- | lab^zd pharyngealized voiced uvular fricative | <big>{{IPA|[ʁˤʷ]}}</big> | Archi, Ubykh |- | lab^zd voiceless pharyngeal fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless pharyngeal fricative.ogg|[ħʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abaza, Abkhaz |- | lab^zd voiced pharyngeal fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced pharyngeal fricative.ogg|[ʕʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Abaza, Lillooet |- | pseudo-fricative | lab^zd voiceless glottal fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless glottal fricative.ogg|[hʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Akan, Tlingit, Tsakhur, Gothic, Gua |- | rowspan = "2" | lateral | lab^zd voiceless alveolar lateral fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless alveolar lateral fricative.ogg|[ɬʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Dahalo |- | lab^zd voiceless velar lateral fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless velar lateral fricative.ogg|[𝼄ʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Archi |- | rowspan="3" |prenasalized | lab^zd voiced labiodental fricative | <big>{{IPA|[ᶬvʷ]}}</big> |Soga (marginal) |- | lab^zd voiceless alveolar fricative | <big>{{IPA|[ⁿsʷ]}}</big> |Soga |- | lab^zd voiced alveolar fricative | <big>{{IPA|[ⁿzʷ]}}</big> |Soga (marginal) |- | rowspan="14" | Nasal | rowspan="8" |plain | protruded bilabial nasal | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized bilabial nasal.ogg|[mʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Adyghe, Chaha, Paha, Tamambo, Eastern Arrernte, Soga |- |lab^zd dental nasal | <big>{{IPA|[n̪ʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte, Soga |- |lab^zd alveolar nasal |<big>{{IPA|[nʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte, Soga |- | lab^zd retroflex nasal | <big>{{IPA|[ɳʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- |lab^zd alveolo-palatal nasal |<big>{{IPA|[ɲ᫈ʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- | lab^zd palatal nasal | <big>{{IPA|[ɲʷ]}}</big> | Akan, North Teke |- | lab^zd velar nasal | <big>{{IPA|[ŋʷ]}}</big> | Akan, Avestan, Lao, Hiw, Igala, Eastern Arrernte |- | protruded labial-velar nasal | <big>{{IPA|[ŋ͡mʷ]}}</big> | Dorig, Gua, Mwotlap |- | rowspan="6" | pre-stopped | protruded bilabial nasal | <big>{{IPA|[ᵖmʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- |lab^zd dental nasal | <big>{{IPA|[ᵗn̪ʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- |lab^zd alveolar nasal | <big>{{IPA|[ᵗnʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- |lab^zd retroflex nasal | <big>{{IPA|[𐞯ɳʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- | lab^zd alveolo-palatal nasal | <big>{{IPA|[ᶜɲ᫈ʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- |lab^zd velar nasal | <big>{{IPA|[ᵏŋʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- | colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Flap/tap |lab^zd alveolar tap |<big>{{IPA|[ɾʷ]}}</big> |Mishmi, Eastern Arrernte |- |lab^zd alveolar lateral flap |<big>{{IPA|[ɺʷ]}}</big> |Soga |- | colspan="2" |Trill |lab^zd alveolar trill |<big>{{IPA|[rʷ]}}</big> |Marshallese |- | rowspan="13" |Approximant | rowspan="4" |lateral |lab^zd dental lateral approximant |<big>{{IPA|[l̪ʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- | lab^zd alveolar lateral approximant | <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized alveolar lateral approximant.ogg|[lʷ]|help=no}}</big> | Lao, Eastern Arrernte, Gua |- | lab^zd retroflex lateral approximant |<big>{{IPA|[ɭʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- | lab^zd alveolo-palatal lateral approximant | <big>{{IPA|[ʎ̟ʷ]}}</big> |Eastern Arrernte |- | rowspan="9" |median | lab^zd labiodental approximant{{clarify|date=December 2023}} | <big>{{IPA|[ʋʷ]}}</big> | Russian<ref name="yb">{{Harvcoltxt|Yanushevskaya|Bunčić|2015|p=223}}</ref> |- | labialized palatal approximant | <big>{{audio-IPA|LL-Q150 (fra)-WikiLucas00-IPA ɥ.wav|[ɥ], [jʷ]}}</big> | Abkhaz, Akan, French, Mandarin, Paha, Eastern Arrernte |- | compressed labio-velar approximant (voiced) | <big>{{IPA|[ɰᵝ]}}</big> | Japanese{{cn|date=February 2026|reason=Would like a cite that this is compressed and not simply spread}} |- | protruded labio-velar approximant (voiced) |<big>{{audio-IPA|Voiced_labio-velar_approximant.ogg|[w], [ɰʷ]}}</big> |widespread; in nearly every above-mentioned language, as well as e.g. Arabic, English, Korean, Vietnamese |- | voiceless labio-velar approximant | <big>{{IPA|[w̥]}}</big> | certain dialects of English |- | nasalized labio-velar approximant | <big>{{IPA|[w̃]}}</big> | Polish, Portuguese |- | nasalized voiceless labio-velar approximant | <big>{{IPA|[w̥̃]}}</big> | Nemi |- | lab^zd postalveolar approximant | <big>{{IPA|[ɹ̠ʷ]}}</big> | rowspan=2|many dialects of English Eastern Arrernte |- | lab^zd retroflex approximant | <big>{{audio-IPA|Retroflex approximant.ogg|[ɻʷ]}}</big> |- | rowspan="14" colspan=2 | Ejective | protruded bilabial ejective | <big>{{audio-IPA|labialized bilabial ejective.ogg|[pʷʼ]|help=no}}</big> | Adyghe |- | lab^zd alveolar ejective | <big>{{audio-IPA|labialized alveolar ejective.ogg|[tʷʼ]|help=no}}</big> | Abkhaz, Adyghe, Ubykh |- | lab^zd velar ejective | <big>{{audio-IPA|labialized velar ejective.ogg|[kʷʼ]|help=no}}</big> | Abaza, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Archi, Bearlake Slavey, Chipewyan, Halkomelem, Kabardian, Ossetic, Tlingit, Ubykh |- | lab^zd postalveolar ejective fricative | <big>{{audio-IPA|labialized palato-alveolar ejective fricative.ogg|[ʃʷʼ]|help=no}}</big> | Adyghe |- | lab^zd uvular ejective | <big>{{audio-IPA|labialized uvular ejective.ogg|[qʷʼ]|help=no}}</big> | Abaza, Abkhaz, Archi, Halkomelem, Hakuchi, Tlingit, Ubykh |- | lab^zd pharyngealized uvular ejective | <big>{{IPA|[qˤʷʼ]}}</big> | Archi, Ubykh |- | lab^zd alveolar ejective affricate | <big>{{IPA|[t͡sʷʼ]}}</big> | Archi, Khwarshi |- | lab^zd alveolar lateral ejective affricate | <big>{{IPA|[t͡ɬʷʼ]}}</big> | Khwarshi |- | lab^zd postalveolar ejective affricate | <big>{{IPA|[t͡ʃʷʼ]}}</big> | Abaza, Archi, Khwarshi |- | lab^zd retroflex ejective affricate | <big>{{IPA|[ʈ͡ʂʷʼ]}}</big> | allophonic in Adyghe |- | lab^zd alveolo-palatal ejective affricate | <big>{{IPA|[t͡ɕʷʼ]}}</big> | Abkhaz, Ubykh |- | lab^zd velar lateral ejective affricate | <big>{{IPA|[k͡𝼄ʷʼ]}}</big> | Archi |- | lab^zd velar ejective fricative | <big>{{IPA|[xʷʼ]}}</big> | Tlingit |- | lab^zd uvular ejective fricative | <big>{{IPA|[χʷʼ]}}</big> | Tlingit

|- | colspan="2" rowspan="16" | Click | lab^zd tenuis dental click | <big>{{IPA|[kǀʷ]}}</big> | Xhosa (tenuis or ejective), Yeyi<ref>Inventory in Lukusa (2002) ''Groundwork in Shiyeyi Grammar'', p. XXI ''ff''</ref> |- | lab^zd tenuis alveolar click | <big>{{IPA|[kǃʷ]}}</big> | Xhosa (tenuis or ejective), Yeyi |- |lab^zd tenuis alveolar click |<big>{{IPA|[kǁʷ]}}</big> |Xhosa (tenuis or ejective) |- | lab^zd aspirated dental click | <big>{{IPA|[kǀʰʷ]}}</big> | Xhosa, Yeyi |- | lab^zd aspirated alveolar click | <big>{{IPA|[kǃʰʷ]}}</big> | Xhosa, Yeyi |- | lab^zd aspirated lateral click | <big>{{IPA|[kǁʰʷ]}}</big> | Xhosa, Yeyi |- | lab^zd nasal dental click | <big>{{IPA|[ŋǀʷ]}}</big> | Xhosa, Yeyi |- | lab^zd nasal alveolar click | <big>{{IPA|[ŋǃʷ]}}</big> | Xhosa, Yeyi |- | lab^zd nasal lateral click | <big>{{IPA|[ŋǁʷ]}}</big> | Xhosa, Yeyi |- |lab^zd voiced dental click |<big>{{IPA|[ɡǀʷ]}}</big> |Xhosa (voiced aspirated) |- | lab^zd voiced alveolar click | <big>{{IPA|[ɡǃʷ]}}</big> | Xhosa (voiced aspirated), Yeyi<ref>Inventory in Donnelly (2002) ''Yeeyi''</ref> |- | lab^zd voiced lateral click | <big>{{IPA|[ɡǁʷ]}}</big> | Xhosa (voiced aspirated), Yeyi |- | lab^zd glottalized nasal alveolar click | <big>{{IPA|[ŋǃˀʷ]}}</big> | Yeyi |- |lab^zd breathy nasal dental click | <big>{{IPA|[ŋǀʱʷ]}}</big> |Xhosa |- |lab^zd breathy nasal alveolar click | <big>{{IPA|[ŋǃʱʷ]}}</big> |Xhosa |- |lab^zd breathy nasal lateral click | <big>{{IPA|[ŋǁʱʷ]}}</big> |Xhosa |}

Note that labialized palatal clicks are not attested in Yeyi and are not reconstructed for Proto-Kxʼa. Xhosa also has prenasalized tenuis/ejective and aspirated clicks, which also occur labialized (''nkqw, nkxw, nchw, nqhw, nxhw'').

==See also== *Labio-palatalization (◌ᶣ)

==References== {{reflist}}

==Bibliography== *{{cite book |last=Crowley |first=Terry |year=1997 |title=An Introduction to Historical Linguistics |edition=3rd |publisher=Oxford University Press}} * {{SOWL}} * {{cite book |last=Ruhlen |first=Merritt |author-link=Merritt Ruhlen |year=1976 |title=A Guide to the Languages of the World |publisher=Stanford University Press }}

* {{cite journal |last1=Yanushevskaya |first1=Irena |last2=Bunčić |first2=Daniel |year=2015 |title=Russian |journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=221–228 |doi=10.1017/S0025100314000395 |doi-access=free }}

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Category:Labialized consonants Category:Assimilation (linguistics) Category:Secondary articulation