Retroflex trill

The voiced retroflex trill is a sound that has been reported in Toda and confirmed with laboratory measurements. Peter Ladefoged transcribes it with the IPA symbol that is normally associated with the retroflex flap, . Although the tongue starts out in a subapical retroflex position, trilling involves the tip of the tongue and causes it to move forward to the alveolar ridge. Thus, the retroflex trill gives a preceding vowel retroflex coloration, like other retroflex consonants, but the vibration itself is not much different from an alveolar trill. Thus, the narrower transcription is also appropriate.

Wahgi has a similar trilled allophone of its lateral flap, , but it is voiceless.

Wintu and Lardil are other languages with a reported (apico-)retroflex trill where the tongue apex "approaches" the hard palate, but it is not subapical, unlike in Toda. The trill has a retroflex flap allophone that occurs between vowels.

Several languages have been reported to have trilled retroflex affricates such as and , including Mapudungun, Malagasy and Fijian. However, the exact articulation is seldom clear from descriptions.

In Fijian, for example, further investigation has revealed that the sound (written ) is seldom trilled but is usually realized as a postalveolar stop instead. In Mapudungun, the sound (written ''tr'') is strongly retroflex, causing and following the subsequent vowel to become retroflex as well. The southern dialect varies between and , but it is not clear whether the letter represents a trill or a non-sibilant fricative.

Occurrence

Notes

References

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Retroflex consonants
Trill consonants
Pulmonic consonants

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