Velarization

{{Short description|Type of secondary articulation in speech}} {{IPA notice}} {{Infobox IPA | above = Velarized | ipa symbol = ◌ˠ | ipa number =422 | decimal1 =736 | imagefile = IPA Unicode 0x02E0.svg }} {{Infobox IPA | above = Velarized or pharyngealized | ipa symbol = ◌̴ | ipa number = 428 | decimal = 820 | imagefile = IPA Unicode 0x0334.svg }} {{Sound change}}

'''Velarization''' or '''velarisation''' is a secondary articulation of consonants by which the back of the tongue is raised toward the velum during the articulation of the consonant. In the International Phonetic Alphabet, velarization is transcribed by one of four diacritics: *A tilde or swung dash through the letter {{unichar|0334|COMBINING TILDE OVERLAY|cwith=◌}} covers velarization, uvularization and pharyngealization, as in {{IPA|[ɫ]}} (the velarized equivalent of {{IPA|[l]}}) *A superscript Latin gamma {{unichar|02E0|MODIFIER LETTER SMALL GAMMA|html=}} after the letter standing for the velarized consonant, as in {{angbr IPA|tˠ}} (a velarized {{IPA|[t]}}) *To distinguish velarization from a velar fricative release, {{unichar|1D5A}} may be used instead of {{angbr IPA|ˠ}}, as in {{angbr IPA|pᵚ}}<ref>{{Cite book |title=Comparative Austronesian Dictionary: An Introduction to Austronesian Studies (Part 1) |publisher=Mouten de Gruyter |place=Berlin & New York |year=1995 |isbn=978-3110127294 |editor-last=Tryon |editor-first=Darrell T. |editor-link=Darrell Tryon |series=Trends in Linguistics Documentation |volume=10 |p=xix}}</ref> *A superscript {{angbr|w}} {{unichar|02B7|MODIFIER LETTER SMALL W}} may be used to indicate simultaneous velarization with labialization, as in {{angbr IPA|sʷ}}, but is often used more broadly for protruded labialization, without specifying 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|page=17|isbn=978-0-52163751-0}}</ref> Although electropalatographic studies have shown that there is a continuum of possible degrees of velarization,<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Recasens|Espinosa|2005|p=2}} citing {{Harvcoltxt|Recasens|Fontdevila|Pallarès|1995}}</ref> the IPA does not specify any way to indicate degrees of velarization, as the difference has not been found to be contrastive in any language. However, the IPA convention of doubling diacritics to indicate a greater degree can be used: {{angbr IPA|ˠˠ}}.

==Examples==

===English=== A common example of a velarized consonant is the velarized alveolar lateral approximant (or "dark L"). In some accents of English, such as Received Pronunciation and General American English, the phoneme {{IPA|/l/}} has "dark" and "light" (also called "clear") allophones: the "dark", velarized allophone {{IPA|[ɫ]}} appears in syllable coda position (e.g. in ''fu'''ll'''''), while the "light", non-velarized allophone {{IPA|[l]}} appears in syllable onset position (e.g. in '''''l'''awn''). Other accents of English, such as Scottish English, Australian English, and potentially standard U.S. and Canadian accents, have "dark L" in all positions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=English L sounds |url=https://public.websites.umich.edu/~jlawler/aue/l-sounds.html |access-date=2025-07-19 |website=public.websites.umich.edu}}</ref>

===Velarized /l/=== * Albanian phonemically contrasts light ''l'' and dark ''ll'' * Catalan dialect and allophonic variance * Portuguese dialect and allophonic variance * Turkish * Kurdish For many languages, velarization is generally associated with more dental articulations of coronal consonants so that dark l tends to be dental or dentoalveolar, and clear l tends to be retracted to an alveolar position.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Recasens|Espinosa|2005|p=4}}</ref>

===Other velarized consonants=== *Danish realizes {{IPA|/d/}} in some environments as a velarized {{IPA|[ð]}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dgcss.hum.ku.dk/aarsberetninger/2010/conference_proceedings_presentations/poster_sound_change_workshop_Barcelona_2010_N_Pharao.pdf|title=Word frequency and sound change in groups and individuals|last=Pharao|first=Nicolai|access-date=10 October 2018|archive-date=11 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011013720/https://dgcss.hum.ku.dk/aarsberetninger/2010/conference_proceedings_presentations/poster_sound_change_workshop_Barcelona_2010_N_Pharao.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> *Irish and Marshallese have velarized consonants that systematically contrast with palatalized consonants.<ref name="Padgett2003">{{Citation|last=Padgett|first=Jaye|chapter=The Emergence of Contrastive Palatalization in Russian|date=2003|chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-010-0195-3_12|title=Optimality Theory and Language Change|pages=307–335|editor-last=Holt|editor-first=D. Eric|series=Studies in Natural Language and Linguistic Theory|volume=56 |place=Dordrecht|publisher=Springer Netherlands|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-94-010-0195-3_12|isbn=978-94-010-0195-3|access-date=2021-06-24|chapter-url-access=subscription}}</ref> *Similarly, Russian has velarized consonants as allophones of the non-palatalized (plain) series, especially prominent before front vowels and with labial and velar consonants as well as the lateral.<ref name="Padgett2003" /><ref>{{Citation|last1=Roon|first1=Kevin D.|last2=Whalen|first2=D. H.|title=Velarization of Russian labial consonants|work=International Congress of Phonetic Sciences ICPhS 2019|date=2019|url=https://icphs2019.org/icphs2019-fullpapers/pdf/full-paper_828.pdf|access-date=2021-06-24|archive-date=2021-07-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709212624/https://icphs2019.org/icphs2019-fullpapers/pdf/full-paper_828.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> *Scottish Gaelic has a three-way contrast in nasals and laterals between {{IPA|[n ~ n̪ˠ ~ ɲ]}} and {{IPA|[l ~ l̪ˠ ~ ʎ]}}<ref>Bauer, Michael. ''Blas na Gàidhlig: The Practical Guide to Gaelic Pronunciation.'' Glasgow: Akerbeltz, 2011.</ref> *Kurdish has three velarized consonants ({{IPA|/ɫ/}}, {{IPA|/sˠ/}}, and {{IPA|/zˠ/}}) which contrast with plain ones.<ref>{{citation|last= Fattah|first= Ismaïl Kamandâr|year= 2000|title= Les dialectes Kurdes méridionaux|publisher= Acta Iranica |isbn= 9042909188 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=McCarus|first=Ernest N. |year= 1958|title=—A Kurdish Grammar|url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED089545.pdf|access-date=11 June 2018}}</ref> *Gilbertese has three velarized consonants (/mˠ/, /pˠ/, and /βˠ/), two of which (/mˠ/ and /pˠ/) contrast with a plain form.

The palatalized/velarized contrast is known by other names, especially in language pedagogy: in Irish and Scottish Gaelic language teaching, the terms '''slender''' (for palatalized) and '''broad''' (for velarized) are often used. In Scottish Gaelic the terms are ''caol'' (for palatalized) and ''leathann'' (for velarized).

The terms '''light''' or '''clear''' (for non-velarized or palatalized) and '''dark''' (for velarized) are also widespread. The terms "'''soft''' ''l'' " and "'''hard''' ''l'' " are not equivalent to "light ''l'' " and "dark ''l'' ". The former pair refers to palatalized ("soft" or iotated) and plain ("hard") Slavic consonants.

== See also == * Palatalization (phonetics)

== References == {{Reflist}}

== Sources == {{refbegin}} * {{Citation | last1 = Recasens | first1 = Daniel | last2 = Fontdevila | first2 = J | last3 = Pallarès | first3 = Maria Dolores | year= 1995 | title = Velarization degree and coarticulatory resistance for /l/ in Catalan and German | journal = Journal of Phonetics | volume = 23 | issue = 1–2 | pages=37–52 | doi = 10.1016/S0095-4470(95)80031-X }} * {{Citation | last1 = Recasens | first1 = Daniel | last2 = Espinosa | first2 = Aina | year= 2005 | title = Articulatory, positional and coarticulatory characteristics for clear /l/ and dark /l/: evidence from two Catalan dialects | journal= Journal of the International Phonetic Association |volume= 35 |issue= 1 |pages=1–25 |doi=10.1017/S0025100305001878 | s2cid = 14140079 }} *{{citation |last1=Jones |first1=Daniel |author-link=Daniel Jones (phonetician) |last2=Ward |first2=Dennis |year=1969 |title=The Phonetics of Russian |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521153003 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=A9rrVMQ-PxsC }} {{refend}}

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Category:Phonetics Category:Phonology Category:Australian English Category:Scottish English Category:Velar consonants Category:Secondary articulation