View source for Labialized velar consonant

{{Short description|Velar consonant that is labialized}}
{{distinguish|Labial–velar consonant}}
{{one source|date=February 2024}}
{{IPA notice}}
A '''labialized velar''' or '''labiovelar''' is a [[velar consonant]] that is [[labialization|labialized]], with a {{IPA|/w/}}-like [[secondary articulation]]. Examples are {{IPA|[kʷ, ɡʷ, xʷ, ɣʷ, ŋʷ]}}, which are pronounced like a {{IPA|[k, ɡ, x, ɣ, ŋ]}}, with rounded lips, such as the [[labialized voiceless velar plosive]] {{IPA|[kʷ]}} and [[labialized voiced velar plosive]] {{IPA|[ɡʷ]}}, [[obstruent]]s being common among the sounds that undergo labialization.<ref>{{Cite Q|Q98962682}}</ref>

==Labialized velar approximants==
The most common labiovelar consonant is the voiced approximant {{IPA|[w]}}. It is normally a labialized velar, as is its vocalic cousin {{IPA|[u]}}. (Labialization is called [[rounded vowel|rounding]] in vowels, and a velar place is called [[back vowel|back]].)

{{IPA|[w]}} and its voiceless equivalent are the only labialized velars with dedicated IPA symbols:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan=2 | IPA
! rowspan=2 | Description
! colspan=4 | Example
|-
! Language
! Orthography
! IPA
! Meaning
|-
! [[Image:Xsampa-X.png]]
| [[Voiceless labio-velar approximant|Voiceless labialized velar fricative]]
| rowspan=2 | [[English language|English]]
| <span style="color:#700000">'''wh'''</span>ich
| {{IPA|[ʍɪtʃ]}}<sup>1</sup>
| '[[wiktionary:which|which]]'
|-
! [[Image:Xsampa-w2.png]]
| [[Labio-velar approximant]]
| <span style="color:#700000">'''w'''</span>itch
| {{IPA|[wɪtʃ]}}
| '[[wiktionary:witch|witch]]'
|}

* <sup>1</sup> - In [[List of dialects of the English language|dialect]]s that distinguish between ''which'' and ''witch''.

The voiceless approximant is traditionally called a "voiceless labial–velar fricative", but true [[doubly articulated consonant|doubly articulated]] fricatives are not known to be used in any language, as they are quite difficult to pronounce and even more difficult to distinguish.

==Historical development==
Labialized velars frequently derive from a plain velar followed by a [[roundedness|rounded]] (labialized) vowel, such as {{IPA|[u]}} or {{IPA|[o]}}. In turn, they may sometimes develop into simple [[bilabial consonant]]s. An example of this is the [[Indo-European sound laws|development of Proto-Indo-European]] *kʷ, *gʷ before *a or *o into [[Greek language|Greek]]  /p, b/, producing cognates as different as English ''come'' and ''basis''. The full sequence is demonstrated by the [[Satsuma dialect]] of Japanese: in northern Satsuma, Standard Japanese {{IPA|[kue]}} 'eat!' has contracted to {{IPA|[kʷe]}}; in southern Satsuma, it has proceeded further to {{IPA|[pe]}}.

A notable development is the initial *kʷ in [[Proto-Indo-European]] [[interrogative word]]s. In English, it developed into ''[[wh (digraph)|wh]]'' or ''h'' (''how''), pronounced /w/ in most dialects and /h/, respectively, via [[Grimm's law]] followed by [[wh-cluster reductions|''wh''-cluster reductions]]. By contrast, in [[Latin]] and its descendants, the [[Romance languages]], that developed into ''[[qu (digraph)|qu]]'' (later Spanish ''cu'' (''cuando'') and ''c'' (''como'')), pronounced as /kʷ/ in Latin and variously as /kw/ or /k/ in the Romance languages. See [[Interrogative word#Etymology|etymology of English interrogative words]] for details. The English [[phonemic spelling]] ''[[kw (digraph)|kw]]'' for ''qu'' (as in ''[[wikt:kwik|kwik]]'') echoes its origin.

{{see also|P-Celtic and Q-Celtic languages}}

==See also==
*[[Co-articulated consonant]]  
*[[Doubly articulated consonant]]  
*[[Voiced bilabial fricative]]  
*[[Voiceless bilabial fricative]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}{{Places of articulation navbox}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Labiovelar Consonant}}
[[Category:Phonology]]
[[Category:Labialized consonants]]
[[Category:Velar consonants]]