| Voiced labiodental flap | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⱱ | |||
| IPA number | 184 | ||
| Audio sample | |||
| Encoding | |||
| Entity(decimal) | ⱱ | ||
| Unicode(hex) | U+2C71 | ||
| Braille |   | ||
| |||
Inphonetics, thevoiced labiodental flap is a speech sound found primarily in languages ofCentral Africa, such asKera andMangbetu. It has also been reported in theAustronesian languageSika.[1] It is one of the few non-rhoticflaps. The sound begins with the lower lip placed behind the upper teeth. The lower lip is then flipped outward, striking the upper teeth in passing.[2]
The symbol in theInternational Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ⱱ⟩, which resembles Cyrillicizhitsa,⟨ѵ⟩, but is composed of a V and the hook of the flap ⟨ɾ⟩. In 2005, theInternational Phonetic Association, responding to Kenneth Olson's request for its adoption, voted to include a symbol for this sound, and selected av with a right hook,[3] that is, a combination of ⟨v⟩ + ⟨ɾ⟩. As of version 5.1.0, theUnicode character set encodes this character at U+2C71 (ⱱ). In earlier literature, it is often transcribed by av modified by theextra-short diacritic, ⟨v̆⟩,[4] following a 1989 recommendation of the International Phonetic Association.[5] Another historic symbol for this sound wasv with curl⟨ⱴ⟩, which had been employed in articles from theSchool of Oriental and African Studies, byJoseph Greenberg,[6] and others.[7]
Features of the voiced labiodental flap:
The labiodental flap is found primarily in Central Africa, in as many as a few hundred languages found in theChadic family (Margi, Tera),Ubangian (Ngbaka, Ma'bo, Sera),Mbum (e.g.Kare),Central Sudanic (Mangbetu, Kresh), andBantoid (Ngwe, some Shona dialects). It is extremely rare outside Africa, though it has been reported fromSika inFlores.
| Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bana[8] | [ɡeⱱin] | 'fishhook' | Mainly restricted toideophones, and between high central vowels.[9] Contrasts with/v/.[10] | ||
| Danish | Standard[11] | ved | [b̪̆e̝ːˀð̠˕ˠ] | 'know(s)' | Atap; also described as an approximant[ʋ]. A rare alternative is a fricative[v].[12] SeeDanish phonology. |
| Kera | [ⱱehti] | 'push your head out of a hole or out of water' | Since most of the lexical items are ideophones, it is not definitively the case that the labial flap has been fully incorporated into the phonological system of Kera.[13] | ||
| Mangbetu | [taⱱa] | 'ten' | |||
| [neⱱiaⱱia] | 'black bird' | ||||
| Mono[14] | vwa | [ⱱa] | 'send' | Contrasts with/v/ and/w/. In free variation withbilabial flap | |
| Sika | [ⱱoti] | 'I stand a pole in the ground' | Contrasts with/v/ and/β/. May also be realized as[b̪] | ||
Thebilabial flap is a variant of the labiodental flap in several languages, includingMono. This sound involves striking the upper lip rather than the upper teeth. The two sounds are not known to contrast in any language; the termlabial flap can be used as a broader description encompassing both sounds.[15]
InSika, the flap is heard in careful pronunciation, but it may also be realized as avoiced labiodental stop,[b̪], or an affricate. It contrasts with both a bilabial and a labiodental fricative:[16]
| [ⱱoti] | "I stand a pole in the ground" |
| [βati] | "I buy" |
| [vehte] | "We (inclusive) buy" |
