Today, Voiced palatal approximant is a topic that generates great interest and debate in society. People are eager to learn more about this topic, whether because of its relevance today, its impact on daily life or its historical significance. From different areas, Voiced palatal approximant is approached and analyzed from different perspectives, offering a multidimensional vision that enriches the understanding of the topic. In this article, we will explore in detail the different aspects of Voiced palatal approximant, providing an in-depth look that allows the reader to understand the importance and scope of this topic today.
| Voiced palatal approximant | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| j | |||
| ʝ̞ (ʝ) | |||
| IPA number | 153 | ||
| Audio sample | |||
| Encoding | |||
| Entity (decimal) | j | ||
| Unicode (hex) | U+006A | ||
| X-SAMPA | j | ||
| Braille | |||
| |||
A voiced palatal approximant is a type of consonant used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨j⟩; the equivalent symbol in the Americanist phonetic notation is ⟨y⟩. In order to not imply that the approximant is spread as the vowel is, it may instead be transcribed ⟨ʝ̞⟩. When this sound occurs in the form of a palatal glide it is frequently, but not exclusively, denoted as a superscript j ⟨ʲ⟩ in IPA.
This sound is traditionally called a yod,[1] after its name in Hebrew. This is reflected in the names of certain phonological changes, such as yod-dropping and yod-coalescence.
A palatal approximant is often the semivocalic equivalent of a close front unrounded vowel . They alternate with each other in certain languages, such as French, and in the diphthongs of some languages as ⟨j⟩ and ⟨i̯⟩, with the non-syllabic diacritic used in some phonetic transcription systems to represent the same sound.
Some languages, however, have a palatal approximant that is unspecified for rounding and so cannot be considered the semivocalic equivalent of either or its rounded counterpart, [y], which would normally correspond to [ɥ]. An example is Spanish, which distinguishes two palatal approximants: an approximant semivowel , which is always unrounded (and is a phonological vowel - an allophone of /i/), and an approximant consonant unspecified for rounding, (which is a phonological consonant). Eugenio Martínez Celdrán describes the difference between them as follows (with audio examples added):[2]
is shorter and is usually a merely transitory sound. It can only exist together with a full vowel and does not appear in syllable onset. has a lower amplitude, mainly in F2. It can only appear in syllable onset. It is not noisy either articulatorily or perceptually. can vary towards [ʝ] in emphatic pronunciations, having noise (turbulent airstream). (...) There is a further argument through which we can establish a clear difference between and : the first sound cannot be rounded, not even through co-articulation, whereas the second one is rounded before back vowels or the back semi-vowel. Thus, in words like viuda ⓘ 'widow', Dios ⓘ 'God', vio ⓘ 's/he saw', etc., the semi-vowel is unrounded; if it were rounded, a sound that does not exist in Spanish, [ɥ], would appear. On the other hand, is unspecified as far as rounding is concerned and it is assimilated to the labial vowel context: rounded with rounded vowels, e.g. ayuda ⓘ 'help', coyote ⓘ 'coyote', hoyuelo ⓘ 'dimple', etc., and unrounded with unrounded vowels: payaso ⓘ 'clown', ayer ⓘ 'yesterday'.
Celdrán also considers that "the IPA shows a lack of precision in the treatment it gives to approximants, if we take into account our understanding of the phonetics of Spanish. and are two different segments, but they have to be labelled as voiced palatal approximant consonants. I think that the former is a real consonant, whereas the latter is a semi-consonant, as it has traditionally been called in Spanish, or a semi-vowel, if preferred. The IPA, though, classifies it as a consonant."[3]
There is a parallel problem with transcribing voiced velar approximants.
In the writing systems used for most languages of Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe, the letter j denotes a palatal approximant, as in German Jahr 'year', which is followed by IPA. Although it may be seen as counterintuitive for English-speakers, there are a few words with that orthographical spelling in certain loanwords in English like Hebrew "hallelujah" and German "Jägermeister".
In grammars of Ancient Greek, a palatal approximant, which was lost early in the history of Greek, is sometimes written as ⟨ι̯⟩, an iota with the inverted breve below, which is the nonsyllabic diacritic or marker of a semivowel.[4]
A voiced alveolar-palatal approximant is attested as phonemic in the Huastec language.
Features of a voiced palatal approximant:
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adyghe | ятӀэ / yat'a | ⓘ | 'dirt' | ||
| Afrikaans | ja | 'yes' | See Afrikaans phonology | ||
| Arabic | Standard | يوم / yawm | 'day' | See Arabic phonology | |
| Aragonese[5] | caye | 'falls' | Unspecified for rounding approximant consonant; the language also features an unrounded palatal approximant semivowel (which may replace /ʝ̞/ before /e/).[5] | ||
| Armenian | Eastern[6] | յուղ / yuq | 'fat' | ||
| Assamese | মানৱীয়তা / manowiyota | 'humanity' | |||
| Assyrian | ܝܡܐ / yama | 'sea' | |||
| Azerbaijani | yuxu | 'dream' | |||
| Basque | bai | 'yes' | |||
| Bengali | নয়ন / noyon | 'eye' | A phonetic merger of the non-syllabic front vowels /i̯ e̯/. See Bengali phonology | ||
| Bulgarian | майка / majka | 'mother' | See Bulgarian phonology | ||
| Catalan[7] | All dialects | feia | 'I did' | See Catalan phonology | |
| Some dialects | jo | 'I' | |||
| Chechen | ялх / yalx | 'six' | |||
| Chinese | Cantonese | 日 / jat9 | 'day' | See Cantonese phonology | |
| Mandarin | 鸭 (鴨) / yā | 'duck' | See Mandarin phonology | ||
| Chuvash | йывӑҫ / yıvëş | 'tree' | |||
| Czech | je | ⓘ | 'is' | See Czech phonology | |
| Danish | jeg | 'I' | See Danish phonology | ||
| Dutch | Standard[8] | ja | ⓘ | 'yes' | Frequently realized as a fricative [ʝ], especially in emphatic speech.[8] See Dutch phonology |
| English | you | 'you' | See English phonology | ||
| Esperanto | jaro | 'year' | See Esperanto phonology | ||
| Estonian | jalg | 'leg' | See Estonian phonology | ||
| Finnish | jalka | 'leg' | See Finnish phonology | ||
| French | yeux | 'eyes' | See French phonology | ||
| German | Standard[9][10] | Jacke | 'jacket' | Also described as a fricative [ʝ][11][12] and a sound variable between a fricative and an approximant.[13] See Standard German phonology | |
| Greek | Ancient Greek | εἴη / éiē | 's/he shall come' | See Ancient Greek phonology | |
| Hebrew | ילד / yeled | 'kid' | See Modern Hebrew phonology | ||
| Hindustani | यान / یان / yán | 'vehicle' | See Hindustani phonology | ||
| Hungarian | játék | 'game' | See Hungarian phonology | ||
| Irish[14] | ghearrfadh | 'would cut' | See Irish phonology | ||
| Ingush | ялат / jalat | 'grain' | See Ingush phonology | ||
| Italian[15] | ione | 'ion' | See Italian phonology | ||
| Jalapa Mazatec[16] | [example needed] | Contrasts voiceless /j̊/, plain voiced /j/ and glottalized voiced /ȷ̃/ approximants.[16] | |||
| Japanese | 焼く / yaku | 'to bake' | See Japanese phonology | ||
| Kabardian | йи / yi | 'game' | |||
| Kazakh | Яғни / yağni | 'so' | |||
| Khmer | យំ / yom | 'to cry' | See Khmer phonology | ||
| Korean | 여섯 / yeoseot | 'six' | See Korean phonology | ||
| Latin | iacere | 'to throw' | See Latin spelling and pronunciation | ||
| Lithuanian[17] | ji | 'she' | Also described as a fricative [ʝ].[18][19] See Lithuanian phonology | ||
| Macedonian | крај / kraj | 'end' | See Macedonian phonology | ||
| Malay | sayang | 'love' | |||
| Maltese | jiekol | 'he eats' | |||
| Mapudungun[20] | kayu | 'six' | May be a fricative [ʝ] instead.[20] | ||
| Marathi | यश / yaš | 'success' | |||
| Nepali | याम / yam | 'season' | See Nepali phonology | ||
| Norwegian | Urban East[21][22] | gi | 'to give' | May be a fricative [ʝ] instead.[22][23] See Norwegian phonology | |
| Odia | ସମୟ / samaya | 'time' | |||
| Persian | یزد / Yäzd | 'Yazd' | See Persian phonology | ||
| Polish[24] | jutro | ⓘ | 'tomorrow' | See Polish phonology | |
| Portuguese[25] | boia | 'buoy', 'float' | Allophone of both /i/ and /ʎ/,[26] as well as a very common epenthetic sound before coda sibilants in some dialects. See Portuguese phonology | ||
| Punjabi | ਯਾਰ / yár | 'friend' | |||
| Romanian | iar | 'again' | See Romanian phonology | ||
| Russian[27] | яма / jama | 'pit' | See Russian phonology | ||
| Serbo-Croatian[28] | југ / jug | 'South' | See Serbo-Croatian phonology | ||
| Slovak[29] | jesť | 'to eat' | See Slovak phonology | ||
| Slovene | jaz | 'I' | |||
| Solos | yas | 'up' | See Alphabet section in Solos language | ||
| Spanish[30] | Standard | ayer | ⓘ | 'yesterday' | Unspecified for rounding approximant consonant; the language also features an unrounded palatal approximant semivowel.[30] Contrast with /j/. See Spanish phonology |
| tierra | ⓘ | 'earth' | |||
| Rioplatense | hielo | 'ice' | |||
| Swedish | jag | 'I' | May be realized as a palatal fricative [ʝ] instead. See Swedish phonology | ||
| Tagalog | maya | 'sparrow' | |||
| Tamil | யானை | 'elephant' | See Tamil phonology | ||
| Telugu | యాతన / yatana | 'agony' | |||
| Turkish[31] | yol | 'way' | See Turkish phonology | ||
| Turkmen | ýüpek | 'silk' | |||
| Ubykh | ајәушқӏa / ajëwšq'a | 'you did it' | See Ubykh phonology | ||
| Ukrainian | їжак / ïžak | 'hedgehog' | See Ukrainian phonology | ||
| Vietnamese | Southern dialects | de | 'cinnamon' | Corresponds to northern /z/. See Vietnamese phonology | |
| Washo | dayáʔ | 'leaf' | Contrasts voiceless /j̊/ and voiced /j/ approximants. | ||
| Welsh | iaith | 'language' | See Welsh phonology | ||
| West Frisian | jas | 'coat' | See West Frisian phonology | ||
| Zapotec | Tilquiapan[32] | yan | 'neck' | ||
| Voiced post-palatal approximant | |
|---|---|
| j | |
| ɰ᫈ | |
| ȷ̈ | |
| Audio sample | |
There is also a post-palatal or pre-velar approximant in some languages, which is articulated more back than the place of articulation of the prototypical palatal approximant but less far back than the prototypical velar approximant. It can be considered the semivocalic equivalent of the close central unrounded vowel . The International Phonetic Alphabet does not have a separate symbol for that sound, but it can be transcribed as ⟨j̠⟩, ⟨j⟩ (a retracted ⟨j⟩), ⟨ɰ̟⟩ or ⟨ɰ᫈⟩ (an advanced ⟨ɰ⟩). Other possible transcriptions include ⟨ȷ̈⟩ (a centralized ⟨j⟩), ⟨ɰ̈⟩ (a centralized ⟨ɰ⟩), and ⟨ɨ̯⟩ (a non-syllabic ⟨ɨ⟩). The para-IPA symbol ⟨ɉ⟩ (a barred ⟨j⟩) may also be used to represent this approximant.[33]
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish[34] | seguir | ⓘ | 'to follow' | Lenited allophone of /ɡ/ before front vowels;[34] typically transcribed in IPA with ⟨ɣ⟩. See Spanish phonology | |
| Turkish | Standard prescriptive[35] | düğün | 'wedding' | Either post-palatal or palatal; phonetic realization of /ɣ/ (also transcribed as /ɰ/) before front vowels.[35] See Turkish phonology | |
| Nasalized voiced palatal approximant | |
|---|---|
| j̃ | |
| Audio sample | |
| Encoding | |
| X-SAMPA | j~ |
A nasalized voiced palatal approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in some oral languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨j̃⟩.
Features of a nasal palatal approximant:
, written ⟨ny⟩,[citation needed] is a common realization of /j/ before nasal vowels in many languages of West Africa that do not have a phonemic distinction between voiced nasal and oral stops, such as Yoruba, Ewe and Bini languages.
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nheengatu | nheẽ | 'to speak' | Influenced Brazilian Portuguese ⟨nh⟩ sound. Sometimes written with ⟨ñ⟩ | ||
| Hindustani[36] | संयम / sanyama | 'patience' | Allophone of /n/ before . See Hindustani phonology | ||
| Kaingang[37] | 'brave' | Possible word-initial realization of /j/ before a nasal vowel.[38] | |||
| Lombard | bisògn de | 'need for (something)' | Allophone of /ɲ/ before a consonant. See Lombard phonology | ||
| Louisiana Creole[39] | sinñin | sɛ̃j̃ɛ̃ | 'bleed' | Intervocalic allophone of /ɲ/ | |
| Polish[40] | państwo | ⓘ | 'state, country' | Allophone of /ɲ/ before fricatives. See Polish phonology | |
| Portuguese | Brazilian[41] | sonho | 'dream' | Allophone of /ɲ/ between vowels, nasalizes the preceding vowel. Language's original /ɲ/ sound.[42][43] See Portuguese phonology | |
| Most dialects[44] | cães | 'dogs' | Allophone of j after nasal vowels. | ||
| Some dialects[42] | me ame! | 'love me!' | Non-syllabic allophone of /i/ between nasal sounds. | ||
| Shipibo[45] | [example needed] | Allophone of /j/ after nasal vowels.[45] | |||
| Spanish | Zwolle-Ebarb[46] | año | 'year' | Allophone of /ɲ/ between vowels, nasalizing the preceding vowel. | |
| Other dialects, occasional in rapid, unguarded speech[47] | niños | 'kids' | Allophone of /ɲ/. Because nasality is retained and there is no potential merger with any other Spanish phonemes, this process is rarely noticed, and its geographical distribution has never been determined. | ||
| Sakha | айыы | 'sin, transgression' | /ȷ̃/ is not distinguished from /j/ in the orthography.[48] | ||