Velarized alveolar lateral approximant
The
velarized alveolar lateral approximant, which may actually be uvularized or pharyngealized, also known as
dark l, is a type of
consonantal sound, used in some
spoken languages.
Features of the velarized alveolar lateral approximant:
* Its
manner of articulation is
approximant, which means it is produced by bringing one articulator close to another but without the vocal tract being narrowed to such an extent that a turbulent airstream is produced.
* Its
place of articulation is
alveolar, which means it is articulated with either the tip or the blade of the tongue â€" termed respectively
apical and
laminal â€" against the
alveolar ridge. It also has a
secondary articulation of
velarization,
uvularization, or
pharyngealization, meaning that the back or root of the
tongue approaches the
soft palate (
velum), the
uvula, or the back of the throat, respectively.
* Its
phonation type is voiced, which means the vocal cords are vibrating during the articulation.
* It is an
oral consonant, which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth.
* It is a
lateral consonant, which means it is produced by allowing the airstream to flow over the sides of the tongue, rather than the middle of the tongue.
* The
airstream mechanism is
pulmonic egressive, which means it is articulated by pushing air out of the
lungs and through the vocal tract, rather than from the
glottis or the mouth.
In many dialects of
English, including
Received Pronunciation, the velarized lateral alveolar approximant occurs in
syllable coda position, as in
bell and
milk. In
syllable onset position, however, the non-velarized or "plain"
alveolar lateral approximant is found. In other words, the dark l is the l-sound used in
bell and
milk, as opposed to the clear l, which is the l-sound used in
lad or
lip.
Some other dialects of English, such as
Scottish English, use a velarized or dark l in all positions, while
Hiberno-English (Irish English) uses clear l everywhere. Some English accents, such as
Cockney,
Estuary English and
South Australian English use [w], [u] or [o] instead of dark l's, a process known as
l-vocalization (so that
bell becomes "beww" and
milk becomes "miwk").
Similar changes are found in other languages, such as
Serbian, as seen in the Serbian name
Beograd of
Belgrade. Velarized l developed into [w] also in the Brazilian dialects of
Portuguese (e.g. Brazil is pronounced Braziu in Brazilian Portuguese), in
Polish, and in the
Sorbian languages.
