Velar approximant

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Velar approximant

The velar approximant is a type of consonant

Consonant

In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the upper vocal tract, the upper vocal tract being defined as that part of the vocal tract that lies above the larynx....
al sound, used in some spoken language

Language

A language is a form of symbol communication in which elements are combined to represents something other than themselves. Language can also refer to the use of such systems as a general phenomenon....
s. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet

International Phonetic Alphabet

The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic....
that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA

X-SAMPA

The Extended Speech Assessment Methods Phonetic Alphabet is a variant of SAMPA developed in 1995 by John C. Wells, professor of phonetics at the University of London....
symbol is M\.

The IPA symbol <>, which otherwise signifies a voiced velar fricative

Voiced velar fricative

The voiced velar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in various Speech communication languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , not to be confused with , the IPA symbol for a close-mid back unrounded vowel), and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is G....
, is sometimes used for the velar approximant as well (with a lowering diacritic when specificity is required).

ures of the velar approximant:

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Language

Word

IPA

International Phonetic Alphabet

Meaning

Notes

Cherokee

Cherokee language

Cherokee is an Iroquoian languages spoken by the Cherokee people which uses a Cherokee syllabary writing system. It is the only Southern Iroquoian languages language that remains spoken....

Cherokee syllabary

The Cherokee syllabary is a syllabary invented by Sequoyah to write the Cherokee language in 1819. His creation of the syllabary is particularly noteworthy in that he could not previously read any script....
/

'watch'

Icelandic

Icelandic language

Icelandic is a North Germanic languages, the language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese language and Norwegian dialects such as Telemark dialect and Sognam?l....

'history, story, saga'

See Icelandic phonology

Icelandic phonology

Icelandic phonology is the study of the phonology of the Icelandic language. Unlike many languages, Icelandic has only very minor dialectal differences in sounds, due to the relatively small number of speakers and the concentration of these speakers in mostly one area....

Irish

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people....

'nine'

Occurs only between broad consonants and front vowel

Front vowel

A front vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a front vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far forward as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant....
s.

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Encyclopedia

The velar approximant is a type of consonant

Consonant

Language

International Phonetic Alphabet

X-SAMPA

Voiced velar fricative

Features

Features of the velar approximant:

Its manner of articulation
Manner of articulation

In linguistics , manner of articulation describes how the tongue, lips, jaw, and other speech organs are involved in making a sound make contact....
is approximant
Approximant consonant

Approximants are speech sounds that could be regarded as intermediate between vowels and "typical" consonants. In the articulation of approximants, articulatory organs produce a narrowing of the vocal tract, but leave enough space for air to flow without much audible turbulence....
, 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
Place of articulation

In articulatory phonetics, the place of articulation of a consonant is the point of contact, where an obstruction occurs in the vocal tract between an active articulator and a passive articulator ....
is velar
Velar consonant

Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the Soft palate)....
which means it is articulated with the back part of the tongue
Tongue

The tongue is skeletal muscle on the floor of the mouth that manipulates food for chewing . It is the primary organ of taste. Much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds....
(the dorsum) against the soft palate
Soft palate

The soft palate is the soft biological_tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is distinguished from the hard palate at the front of the mouth in that it does not contain bone....
(the velum).
Its phonation
Phonation

Phonation has slightly different meanings depending on the subfield of phonetics. Among some phoneticians, phonation is the process by which the vocal folds produce certain sounds through quasi-periodic vibration....
type is voiced, which means the vocal cords are vibrating during the articulation.
It is an oral consonant
Oral consonant

An oral consonant is a consonant sound in Speech communication that is made by allowing air to escape from the mouth, as opposed to the nose. To create an intended oral consonant sound, the entire mouth plays a role in modifying the air's passageway....
, which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth.
It is a central consonant
Central consonant

A central or medial consonant is a consonant sound that is produced when air flows across the center of the mouth over the tongue.Examples of central consonants are the voiceless velar plosive , the voiced alveolar fricative and the alveolar nasal ....
, which means it is produced by allowing the airstream to flow over the middle of the tongue, rather than the sides.
The airstream mechanism
Airstream mechanism

In phonetics, the airstream mechanism is the method by which airflow is created in the vocal tract. Along with phonation, it is one of two mandatory aspects of sound production; without these, there can be no speech sound....
is pulmonic egressive, which means it is articulated by pushing air out of the lung
Lung

The lung is the essential respiration organ in air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located in the chest on either side of the heart....
s and through the vocal tract, rather than from the glottis
Glottis

The glottis defined as the combination of the vocal folds and the space in between the folds ....
or the mouth.

Occurrence

Language	Word	Meaning	Notes
Cherokee Cherokee language Cherokee is an Iroquoian languages spoken by the Cherokee people which uses a Cherokee syllabary writing system. It is the only Southern Iroquoian languages language that remains spoken....	?? Cherokee syllabary The Cherokee syllabary is a syllabary invented by Sequoyah to write the Cherokee language in 1819. His creation of the syllabary is particularly noteworthy in that he could not previously read any script.... /	'watch'
Icelandic Icelandic language Icelandic is a North Germanic languages, the language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese language and Norwegian dialects such as Telemark dialect and Sognam?l....		'history, story, saga'	See Icelandic phonology Icelandic phonology Icelandic phonology is the study of the phonology of the Icelandic language. Unlike many languages, Icelandic has only very minor dialectal differences in sounds, due to the relatively small number of speakers and the concentration of these speakers in mostly one area....
Irish Irish language Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people....		'nine'	Occurs only between broad consonants and front vowel Front vowel A front vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a front vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far forward as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.... s. See Irish phonology Irish phonology File:Gaeltachtai le hainmneacha.svgThe phonology of the Irish language varies from Irish language#Dialects; there is no standard language of the language....
Korean Korean language Korean is the official language of North Korea and South Korea. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China....	/	'chair'	Korean phonology Korean phonology This article is a technical description of the phonetics and phonology of Korean language.Korean has many allophones, so it is important here to distinguish morphophonemics from corresponding phonemes and allophones ....
Spanish Spanish language Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....		'to pay'	Spanish phonology Spanish phonology This article is about the phonology of the Spanish language. It deals with current phonology and phonetics as well as with historical developments thereof, including geographical variants ....

The sound in Japanese

Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
denoted by is often described as unrounded but is actually pronounced with lip compression and is therefore labio-velar, albeit with acoustic differences from other labio-velar consonants.

Velar approximant

Features

Occurrence

See also