Labial–alveolar consonant explained

Labial–alveolar consonants are doubly articulated consonants that are co-articulated at the lips and the front part of the tongue against the alveolar ridge or the alveolar ridge and the teeth. They are only attested in Yele, an unclassified language of Rossel Island, Papua New Guinea.[1] [2]

Types

Several labial–alveolar consonants are attested in Yele, where the alveolar contact is more precisely denti-alveolar: a voiceless plosive pronounced as //t̪͡p//, a nasal pronounced as //n̪͡m//, and prenasalized pronounced as //n̪͡md̪͡b// (also analyzed as pronounced as //n̪͡mt̪͡p// but phonetically voiced), of which pronounced as //t̪͡pʲ// and pronounced as //n̪͡md̪͡bʲ// may also occur palatalized.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Levinson . Stephen C. . A Grammar of Yélî Dnye: The Papuan Language of Rossel Island . 23 May 2022 . De Gruyter . 978-3-11-073385-3 . 10.1515/9783110733853 . 16 January 2023 . 249083265.
  2. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/160609178.pdf