apical consonant
Quick Summary
An apical consonant is a speech sound produced using the tip of the tongue. This is in contrast to laminal consonants, which are made with the blade of the tongue.12
In phonetics, consonants are classified by their place and manner of articulation. The place of articulation refers to where in the vocal tract the airflow is obstructed. For apical consonants, the obstruction involves the tip of the tongue coming into contact with the alveolar ridge (just behind the upper front teeth) or the upper teeth themselves. Examples of apical consonants include sounds like 'n', 'l', and 'r' in English.231
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Dravidian languagesHistorical development of Dravidian phonologyIn this group the apical consonants (comprising the alveolar and retroflex consonants) that were in the middle of a word were pushed to the initial (first) position. When the word began with a vowel and was followed by an apical consonant and a vowel, V1CapicalV2, it became a word-initial…
Read MoreIn this group the apical consonants (comprising the alveolar and retroflex consonants) that were in the middle of a word were pushed to the initial (first) position. When the word began with a vowel and was followed by an apical consonant and a vowel, V1CapicalV2, it became a word-initial…
Read More- Dravidian languagesSouth-Central Dravidian phonological development
…different degrees, is called “apical displacement,” the shifting of apical (alveolar or retroflex) consonants from an original postvocalic position to prevocalic position in the root syllables. For instance, Proto-Dravidian *uẓ-u ‘to plow’ became Kui, Kuvi, and Pengo ṛū- ‘to plow’ and Telugu ḍu-kki ‘plowing’; and Proto-Dravidian *car-a-cu became Telugu…
Read More…different degrees, is called “apical displacement,” the shifting of apical (alveolar or retroflex) consonants from an original postvocalic position to prevocalic position in the root syllables. For instance, Proto-Dravidian *uẓ-u ‘to plow’ became Kui, Kuvi, and Pengo ṛū- ‘to plow’ and Telugu ḍu-kki ‘plowing’; and Proto-Dravidian *car-a-cu became Telugu…
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