Voiced palatal approximant
Template:Short description Template:For Template:Infobox IPA
A voiced palatal approximant is a type of consonant used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is Template:Angbr IPA; the equivalent symbol in the Americanist phonetic notation is Template:Angbr. In order to not imply that the approximant is spread as the vowel Template:IPA is, it may instead be transcribed Template:Angbr IPA. When this sound occurs in the form of a palatal glide it is frequently, but not exclusively, denoted as a superscript j Template:IPAalink in IPA.
This sound is traditionally called a yod,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> after its name in Hebrew. This is reflected in the names of certain phonological changes, such as yod-dropping and yod-coalescence.
A palatal approximant is often the semivocalic equivalent of a close front unrounded vowel Template:IPA. They alternate with each other in certain languages, such as French, and in the diphthongs of some languages as Template:Angbr IPA and Template:Angbr IPA, with the non-syllabic diacritic used in some phonetic transcription systems to represent the same sound.
Phonetic ambiguity and transcription usage
Some languages, however, have a palatal approximant that is unspecified for rounding and so cannot be considered the semivocalic equivalent of either Template:IPA or its rounded counterpart, Template:IPAblink, which would normally correspond to Template:IPAblink. An example is Spanish, which distinguishes two palatal approximants: an approximant semivowel Template:IPA, which is always unrounded (and is a phonological vowel - an allophone of Template:IPA), and an approximant consonant unspecified for rounding, Template:IPA (which is a phonological consonant). Eugenio Martínez Celdrán describes the difference between them as follows (with audio examples added):Template:Sfnp
Celdrán also considers that "the IPA shows a lack of precision in the treatment it gives to approximants, if we take into account our understanding of the phonetics of Spanish. Template:IPA and Template:IPA are two different segments, but they have to be labelled as voiced palatal approximant consonants. I think that the former is a real consonant, whereas the latter is a semi-consonant, as it has traditionally been called in Spanish, or a semi-vowel, if preferred. The IPA, though, classifies it as a consonant."Template:Sfnp
There is a parallel problem with transcribing voiced velar approximants.
In the writing systems used for most languages of Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe, the letter j denotes a palatal approximant, as in German Template:Langx 'year', which is followed by IPA. Although it may be seen as counterintuitive for English-speakers, there are a few words with that orthographical spelling in certain loanwords in English like Hebrew "hallelujah" and German "Jägermeister".
In grammars of Ancient Greek, a palatal approximant, which was lost early in the history of Greek, is sometimes written as Template:Angbr, an iota with the inverted breve below, which is the nonsyllabic diacritic or marker of a semivowel.Template:Sfnp
A voiced alveolar-palatal approximant is attested as phonemic in the Huastec language.
Features
Features of a voiced palatal approximant:
Template:Approximant The most common type of this approximant is glide or semivowel. The term glide emphasizes the characteristic of movement (or 'glide') of Template:IPA from the Template:IPAblink vowel position to a following vowel position. The term semivowel emphasizes that, although the sound is vocalic in nature, it is not 'syllabic' (it does not form the nucleus of a syllable). For a description of the approximant consonant variant used e.g. in Spanish, see above. Template:Palatal The otherwise identical post-palatal variant is articulated slightly behind the hard palate, making it sound slightly closer to the velar Template:IPAblink. Template:Voiced Template:Oral Template:Central articulation Template:Pulmonic
Occurrence
Palatal
Post-palatal
There is also the post-palatal approximant in some languages, which is articulated slightly more back than the place of articulation of the prototypical palatal approximant but less far back than the prototypical velar approximant. It can be considered the semivocalic equivalent of the close central unrounded vowel Template:IPA. The International Phonetic Alphabet does not have a separate symbol for that sound, but it can be transcribed as Template:Angbr IPA, Template:Angbr IPA (a retracted Template:Angbr IPA), Template:Angbr IPA or Template:Angbr IPA (an advanced Template:Angbr IPA). Other possible transcriptions include Template:Angbr IPA (a centralized Template:Angbr IPA), Template:Angbr IPA (a centralized Template:Angbr IPA), and Template:Angbr IPA (a non-syllabic Template:Angbr IPA). The para-IPA symbol Template:Angbr IPA (a barred Template:Angbr IPA) may also be used to represent this approximant.<ref>L2/24-171: Miscellaneous historical and para-IPA modifier letters</ref>
Features
Template:Approximant Template:Post-palatal Template:Voiced Template:Oral Template:Central articulation Template:Pulmonic
Occurrence
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpanishTemplate:Sfnp | Template:Lang | Template:Audio-IPA | 'to follow' | Lenited allophone of Template:IPA before front vowels;Template:Sfnp typically transcribed in IPA with Template:Angbr IPA. See Spanish phonology | |
| Turkish | Standard prescriptiveTemplate:Sfnp | Template:Lang | Template:IPA | 'wedding' | Either post-palatal or palatal; phonetic realization of Template:IPA (also transcribed as Template:IPA) before front vowels.Template:Sfnp See Turkish phonology |
Nasal
A nasalized voiced palatal approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in some oral languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is Template:Angbr IPA.
Features
Features of a nasal palatal approximant:
Template:Approximant Template:Palatal Template:Voiced Template:Nasal Template:Central articulation Template:Pulmonic
Occurrence
Template:IPA, written Template:Angbr,Template:Cn is a common realization of Template:IPA before nasal vowels in many languages of West Africa that do not have a phonemic distinction between voiced nasal and oral stops, such as Yoruba, Ewe and Bini languages.
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nheengatu | Template:Lang | Template:IPA | 'to speak' | Influenced Brazilian Portuguese Template:Angbr sound. Sometimes written with Template:Angbr | |
| Hindustani<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> | Template:Lang / Template:Transliteration | Template:IPA | 'patience' | Allophone of Template:IPAslink before Template:IPA. See Hindustani phonology | |
| Kaingang<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> | Template:IPA | 'brave' | Possible word-initial realization of Template:IPA before a nasal vowel.<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> | ||
| Lombard | Template:Lang | Template:IPA | 'need for (something)' | Allophone of Template:IPAslink before a consonant. See Lombard phonology | |
| Louisiana Creole<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | sinñin | sɛ̃j̃ɛ̃ | 'bleed' | Intervocalic allophone of Template:IPA | |
| Polish<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> | Template:Lang | Template:IPA | 'state, country' | Allophone of Template:IPA before fricatives. See Polish phonology | |
| Portuguese | Brazilian<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> | Template:Lang | Template:IPA | 'dream' | Allophone of Template:IPAslink between vowels, nasalizes the preceding vowel. Language's original Template:IPA sound.<ref name="vinho">Portuguese vinho: diachronic evidence for biphonemic nasal vowels</ref><ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> See Portuguese phonology |
| Most dialects<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> | Template:Lang | Template:IPA | 'dogs' | Allophone of Template:IPA after nasal vowels. | |
| Some dialects<ref name="vinho"/> | Template:Lang | Template:IPA | 'love me!' | Non-syllabic allophone of Template:IPAslink between nasal sounds. | |
| Shipibo<ref name="val283">Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> | Template:Example needed | Allophone of Template:IPA after nasal vowels.<ref name="val283"/> | |||
| Spanish | Zwolle-Ebarb<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> | Template:Lang | Template:IPA | 'year' | Allophone of Template:IPA between vowels, nasalizing the preceding vowel. |
| Other dialects, occasional in rapid, unguarded speech<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> | Template:Lang | Template:IPA | 'kids' | Allophone of Template:IPA. Because nasality is retained and there is no potential merger with any other Spanish phonemes, this process is rarely noticed, and its geographical distribution has never been determined. | |
| Sakha | Template:Lang | Template:IPA | 'sin, transgression' | Template:IPA is not distinguished from Template:IPA in the orthography.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
See also
Notes
References
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