Labial–coronal consonant
Type of doubly articulated consonant / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A labial–coronal consonant is a consonant produced with two simultaneous articulators: with the lips ('labial'; a [p], [b], or [m] sound), and with the tongue (at the teeth or gums, a 'dental' or 'alveolar' [t], [d] or [n] sound, or further back, a 'post-alveolar' or 'retroflex' [ʈ], [ɖ] or [ɳ] sound).
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Several languages have been claimed to have such sounds, such as Margi and Bura in Nigeria. However, most researchers interpret them as having sequences of labial and coronal consonants, a rather common occurrence in Africa. The Yélî Dnye language[1][2] of Rossel Island, Papua New Guinea, appears to be unique in having distinct laminal labial–alveolar (i.e. labial–denti-alveolar) and labial–retroflex (i.e. apical to sub-apical labial–postalveolar) places of articulation, as illustrated below.
Stops in Yelî Dnye | Bilabial | Alveolar | Retroflex | Velar | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stop | paa | side | t̪aa | knife | ʈoo | tongue | kaa | spear |
Prenasalized stop | mbee | carry | n̪d̪e | food | ɳɖe | firewood | ŋɡaa | tree |
Nasal | maa | road | n̪ii | juice | ɳaa | feast | ŋa | lease |
Stops in Yelî Dnye | Labial–alveolar | Labial–retroflex | Labial–velar | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stop | t̪͡pənə | lung | ʈ͡pənə | horn | k͡pene | coconut bag |
Prenasalized stop | n͡md̪͡boo | pulp | ɳ͡mɖ͡boo | many | ŋ͡mɡ͡bo | fog |
Nasal | n̪͡mo | bird | ɳ͡mo | we | ŋ͡mo | breast |