A subapical consonant is a consonant made by contact with the underside of the tip of the tongue. The only common subapical articulations are in the
postalveolar to
palatal region, which are called "
retroflex
A retroflex () or cacuminal () consonant is a coronal consonant where the tongue has a flat, concave, or even curled shape, and is articulated between the alveolar ridge and the hard palate. They are sometimes referred to as cerebral consona ...
".
Most so-called retroflex consonants are more properly called
apical. True subapical retroflexes are found in the
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian languages are a language family, family of languages spoken by 250 million people, primarily in South India, north-east Sri Lanka, and south-west Pakistan, with pockets elsewhere in South Asia.
The most commonly spoken Dravidian l ...
of
Southern India.
Occasionally, the term "sublaminal" is used for "subapical", which might be better used for sounds pronounced between the underside of the tongue and the floor of the mouth, such as
sucking-teeth and the
slapped clicks of
Sandawe.
References
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Retroflex consonants
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