Sulcalization (from 'groove'), also called internal rounding, in
phonetics
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds or, in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians ...
, is the pronunciation of a sound, typically a
sibilant consonant, such as
English and , with a deep ''groove'' running along the back of the tongue that focuses the airstream on the teeth, producing a more intense sound. This is accomplished by raising the sides of the back of the tongue ("lateral contraction") and leaving a hollow along the mid-line. It is not clear if all sibilants are grooved to at least some extent. Catford (1977) observed that the degree of tongue grooving differs between places of articulation as well as between languages; however, no language is known to contrast sibilants based purely on the presence or absence of tongue grooving.
English , which allows various tongue positions without apparent distinction, may also receive its characteristic quality from having a grooved tongue shape. has also been reported to show tongue grooving in English, despite being a non-sibilant fricative (Stone & Lundberg 1996).
Albanian , but not , has also been described as being produced with accompanying sulcalization (Lowman 1932: 278).
In
phonology
Phonology (formerly also phonemics or phonematics: "phonemics ''n.'' 'obsolescent''1. Any procedure for identifying the phonemes of a language from a corpus of data. 2. (formerly also phonematics) A former synonym for phonology, often pre ...
and
historical linguistics
Historical linguistics, also known as diachronic linguistics, is the scientific study of how languages change over time. It seeks to understand the nature and causes of linguistic change and to trace the evolution of languages. Historical li ...
, ''sulcalization'' is the development of such a groove in a non-sulcal consonant. For example,
close vowels triggered this effect in
Japanese, where historic *''tu'' and *''ti'' have become and , respectively. A similar sound change also took place in the history of the
Senufo languages. (The
palatalization of *''tsi'' to in Japanese is a different process and does not occur in Senufo.)
Vowels may also be sulcalized, which has been described as giving them a "throaty" sound (Jones 1967: 82). The vowel of
Received Pronunciation, which is normally described as a
rounded, is pronounced by some speakers without rounded lips for whom the characteristic quality is rather one of sulcality (Lass 1984: 124).
One scholar has also suggested that the vowel in the RP pronunciation of words like ''bird'', typically transcribed , is actually a sulcal schwa, retaining the sulcality of the original rhotic consonant. Accordingly, the realization of the -element of the centring diphthongs , , in words such as ''near'', ''pure'' and ''scare'', is interpreted as the product of a loss of sulcality (Erickson 2003: 197).
See also
*
Tongue rolling
*
Tillamook language
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{Authority control
Fricative consonants
Phonetics
Secondary articulation