Labialization: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Secondary articulatory feature of sounds in some languages}}

{{redirect|Lip rounding|the lip rounding of vowels|Roundedness}}

{{about|labial rounding|internal rounding|sulcalization}}

{{Infobox IPA

| above = Labialized (spread lips)

| ipa symbol = ◌ʷ◌ᵝ

}}

{{Infobox IPA

| above = Labial(-velar)ized with protrusion (rounded lips)

| ipa symbol = ◌ʷ

}}

{{Sound change}}

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'''Labialization''' is a [[Secondary articulation|secondary articulatory]] feature of sounds in some languages. Labialized sounds involve the lips while the remainder of the [[Human mouth|oral cavity]] produces another sound. The term is normally restricted to [[consonant]]s. When vowels involve the lips, they are called [[roundedness|rounded]].

The most common labialized consonants are [[Labialized velar consonant|labialized velars]]. Most other labialized sounds also have simultaneous [[velarization]], and the process may then be more precisely called '''labio-velarization'''. The "labialization" of bilabial consonants often refers to '''protrusion''' instead of a secondary articulatory feature [[velarization]]. {{IPA|[pʷ]}} doesn't mean {{IPA|[pˠ]}} although {{IPA|[w]}} refers to a [[labial–velar approximant]].

In [[phonology]], labialization may also refer to a type of [[Assimilation (linguistics)|assimilation]] process.

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Labialization is the most widespread secondary articulation in the world's languages. It is phonemically contrastive in [[Northwest Caucasian languages|Northwest Caucasian]] (e.g. [[Adyghe language|Adyghe]]), [[Athabaskan languages|Athabaskan]], and [[Salishan languages|Salishan]] [[language family|language families]], among others. This contrast is reconstructed also for [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]], the common ancestor of the [[Indo-European languages]]; and it survives in [[Latin language|Latin]] and some [[Romance languages]]. It is also found in the [[Cushitic languages|Cushitic]] and [[Ethiopian Semitic languages|Ethio-Semitic]] languages.

[[American English]] labializes {{IPA|/r, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/}} to various degrees.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

A few languages, including [[Arrernte language|Arrernte]] and [[Mba language|Mba]], have contrastive labialized forms for almost all of their consonants.

In many [[Salishan languages]], such as [[Klallam language|Klallam]], velar consonants only occur in their labialized forms (except /k/, which occurs in some loanwords). However, uvular consonants occur abundantly labialized and unrounded.

==Types==

{{Infobox IPA

| above = Open-labialized

| ipa symbol = ◌ꟹ

| ipa number =

| decimal1 =

}}

{{Infobox IPA

| above = Labiodentalization

| ipa symbol = ◌ᶹ

| ipa number =

| decimal1 =

}}

Out of 706 language inventories surveyed by {{Harvcoltxt|Ruhlen|1976}}, labialization occurred most often with [[velar consonant|velar]] (42%) and [[uvular consonant|uvular]] (15%) segments and least often with [[dental consonant|dental]] and [[alveolar consonant|alveolar]] segments. With non-dorsal consonants, labialization may include [[velarization]] as well. Labialization is not restricted to lip-rounding. The following articulations have either been described as labialization, or been found as [[allophone|allophonic]] realizations of prototypical labialization:

* Labiodental frication, found in [[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]]<ref name="ARA">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ApzO7A7-xcUC&q=abkhaz+labialized|title = Annual Review of Anthropology|year = 1977|isbn = 9780824319069| last1=Siegel | first1=Bernard J. | publisher=Annual Reviews Incorporated }}</ref>

* Labiodentalization is a common idiosyncrasy of English {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/z/}}, and especially of {{IPA|/r/}}.<ref>John Laver [1994: 321] ''Principles of Phonetics''</ref>

* Complete bilabial closure, {{IPA|[d͡b, t͡p, t͡pʼ]}}, found in Abkhaz and [[Ubykh language|Ubykh]]<ref name="ARA" />

* "Labialization" ({{IPA|/w/}}, {{IPA|/ɡʷ/}}, and {{IPA|/kʷ/}}) without noticeable rounding (protrusion) of the lips, found in the [[Iroquoian languages]]{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}. It may be that they are [[roundedness|compressed]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

* Rounding without velarization, found in [[Shona language|Shona]]{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} and in the [[Bzyb dialect]] of [[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

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[[Eastern Arrernte]] has labialization at all [[place of articulation|places]] and [[manner of articulation|manners of articulation]]; this derives historically from adjacent rounded vowels, as is also the case of the [[Northwest Caucasian languages]]. [[Marshallese language|Marshallese]] also has phonemic labialization as a [[secondary articulation]] at all places of articulation except for [[labial consonant]]s and [[coronal consonant|coronal]] [[obstruent consonant|obstruent]]s.

In North America, languages from a number of families have sounds that sound labialized (and vowels that sound rounded) without the participation of the lips. See [[Tillamook language]] for an example.

=== Prelabialization ===

In [[Slovene language|Slovene]], sounds can be prelabialized. Furthermore, the change is phonemic and all phonemes have prelabialized pairs (though not all of their allophones can have pairs). Compare {{Wikt-lang|sl|stati}} 'stand' {{IPA|[ˈs̪t̪àːt̪í]}} and {{Wikt-lang|sl|vstati}} 'stand up' {{IPA|[ˈʷs̪t̪àːt̪í]}}. The prelabialization part, however, is usually not considered as being part of the same phoneme as prelabialized sound, but rather as an allophone of {{IPA|/ʋ/}} as it changes depending on the environment, e. g. {{Wikt-lang|sl|vzeti}} 'take' {{IPA|[ˈʷz̪èːt̪í]}} and {{Wikt-lang|sl|povzeti}} 'summarize' {{IPA|[pou̯ˈz̪èːt̪í]}}.<ref>{{citation |last=Jurgec |first=Peter |title=Novejše besedje s stališča fonologije Primer slovenščine |page=95 |year=2007 |___location=Tromsø |language=sl}}</ref> See [[Slovene phonology]] for more details.

==Transcription==

In the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]], labialization of velar consonants is indicated with a raised w modifier {{IPA|[ʷ]}} ([[Unicode]] U+02B7), as in {{IPA|/kʷ/}}. (Elsewhere this diacritic generally indicates simultaneous labialization and velarization.{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}}) There are also diacritics, respectively {{IPA|[ɔ̹], [ɔ̜]}}, to indicate greater or lesser degrees of rounding.<ref>As a mnemonic, the more-rounded diacritics resemblesresemble the rounded vowel {{angbr IPA|ɔ}}.</ref> These are normally used with vowels, but may occur with consonants. For example, in the [[Athabaskan languages|Athabaskan language]] [[Hupa language|Hupa]], [[voiceless velar fricative]]s distinguish three degrees of labialization, transcribed either {{IPA|/x/, /x̹/, /xʷ/}} or {{IPA|/x/, /x̜ʷ/, /xʷ/}}.

The [[extensions to the IPA]] has two additional symbols for degrees of rounding: Spread {{IPA|[ɹ͍]}} and open-rounded {{IPA|[ʒꟹ]}} (as in English). It also has a symbol for [[labiodental approximant|labiodentalized]] sounds, {{IPA|[tᶹ]}}.<ref>{{cite book|author=International Phonetic Association|year=1999|title=Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=190|isbn=978-0-52163751-0}}</ref>

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If precision is desired, the Abkhaz and Ubykh articulations may be transcribed with the appropriate fricative or trill raised as a diacritic: {{IPA|[tᵛ]}}, {{IPA|[tᵝ]}}, {{IPA|[t^ʙ]}}, {{IPA|[tᵖ]}}.

For simple labialization, {{Harvcoltxt|Ladefoged|Maddieson|1996}} resurrected an old IPA symbol, {{IPA|[&nbsp;̫]}},<ref>This is not a subscript ''w'' but originally a subscript omega that "recalls the letter ''w''" (Jespersen & Pedersen, 1926, ''Phonetic Transcription and Transliteration: Proposals of the Copenhagen Conference, April 1925.'' Oxford University Press).</ref> which would be placed above a letter with a descender such as {{IPA|ɡ}}. However, their chief example is Shona ''sv'' and ''zv,'' which they transcribe {{IPA|/s̫/}} and {{IPA|/z̫/}} but which actually seem to be [[whistled sibilant]]s, without necessarily being labialized.<ref>See [http://www.cefala.org/issp2006/cdrom/articles/shosted.pdf]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516193747/http://www.cefala.org/issp2006/cdrom/articles/shosted.pdf |date=May 16, 2008 }}</ref> Another possibility is to use the IPA diacritic for rounding, distinguishing for example the labialization in English ''soon'' {{IPA|[s̹]}} and {{IPA|[sʷ]}} ''swoon''.<ref>John Esling (2010) "Phonetic Notation", in Hardcastle, Laver & Gibbon (eds) ''The Handbook of Phonetic Sciences'', 2nd ed.</ref> The open rounding of English {{IPA|/ʃ/}} is also unvelarized.

==Assimilation==

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In the [[Northwest Caucasian languages]] as well as some [[Australian languages]] rounding has shifted from the vowels to the consonants, producing a wide range of labialized consonants and leaving in some cases only two phonemic vowels. This appears to have been the case in Ubykh and [[Eastern Arrernte]], for example. The labial vowel sounds usually still remain, but only as allophones next to the now-labial consonant sounds.

==List of labialized consonants==

==Examples==

{| class="wikitable"

|+

! colspan ="2" | type

! width="28%" | Phoneme[[Phone (phonetics)|Phone]]

!IPA

! Languages

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| rowspan = "13" | Stops

| rowspan = "11" | plain

| lab^zdprotruded [[voiceless bilabial stop]]

| <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless bilabial plosive.ogg|[pʷ]|help=no}}</big>

| Chaha, [[Ibaloi language|Ibaloi]], Paha

|-

| lab^zdprotruded [[voiced bilabial stop]]

| <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced bilabial plosive.ogg|[bʷ]|help=no}}</big>

| Chaha, [[Ibaloi language|Ibaloi]], Paha, [[Mayo language|Mayo]], [[Yaqui language|Yaqui]]

|-

| lab^zd [[voiceless alveolar stop]]

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| lab^zd [[voiceless velar stop]]

| <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiceless velar plosive.ogg|[kʷ]|help=no}}</big>

| [[Abaza language|Abaza]], [[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]], [[Adyghe language|Adyghe]], [[Halkomelem]], [[Kabardian language|Kabardian]], Taos, Chipewyan, Hadza, Gwichʼin, Tlingit, [[Akan language|Akan]], Nez Perce, Archi, [[Cantonese]], Wariʼ, [[Chaha language|Chaha]], [[Dahalo language|Dahalo]], [[Hausa language|Hausa]], [[Igala language|Igala]], [[Igbo language|Igbo]], [[Italian language|Italian]], Lao, [[Latin phonology|Latin]], [[Nahuatl]], [[Nawat language|Nawat]], [[Okinawan language|Okinawan]], [[Ossetian language|Ossetic]], Paha, [[Portuguese phonology|Portuguese]], [[Thai language|Thai]], [[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]], [[Hiw language|Hiw]], Ubykh, [[Slavey language|Bearlake Slavey]], [[Breton language|Breton]], [[Gothic language|Gothic]]

|-

| lab^zd [[voiced velar stop]]

| <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized voiced velar plosive.ogg|[ɡʷ]|help=no}}</big>

| [[Abaza language|Abaza]], [[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]], Adyghe, Akan, Archi, Chaha, Dahalo, Hausa, Okinawan, Oowekyala, Ossetic, Hadza, [[Ibaloi language|Ibaloi]], Igala, Igbo, Gwichʼin, Kabardian, Paha, Portuguese, Tigrinya, Ubykh, [[Breton language|Breton]], [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]], [[Gothic language|Gothic]]

|-

| lab^zd [[voiceless uvular stop]]

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|-

| rowspan = "2" | Labial–velar

| lab^zdprotruded [[Voiceless labial–velar stop#Rounded variant|voiceless labio–velar stop]]

| <big>{{IPA|[k͡pʷ]}}</big>

| [[Dorig language|Dorig]], [[Mwotlap language|Mwotlap]]

|-

| lab^zdprotruded [[Prenasalized consonant|prenasalized]] [[voiced labial–velar stop]]

| <big>{{IPA|[ᵑɡ͡bʷᵑᵐɡ͡bʷ]}}</big>

| [[Volow language|Volow]]

|-

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|-

| rowspan = "15" | non-sibilant

| lab^zdprotruded [[voiceless bilabial fricative]]

| <big>{{IPA|[ɸʷ]}}</big>

| Okinawan, [[Taruma language|Taruma]]

|

|-

| lab^zdprotruded [[voiced bilabial fricative]]

| <big>{{IPA|[βʷ]}}</big>

| [[Tamambo language|Tamambo]]

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|-

| rowspan = "4" colspan=2 | Nasals

| lab^zdprotruded [[bilabial nasal]]

| <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized bilabial nasal.ogg|[mʷ]|help=no}}</big>

| [[Adyghe language|Adyghe]], [[Chaha language|Chaha]], [[Paha language|Paha]], [[Tamambo language|Tamambo]]

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| Akan, Avestan, Lao, [[Hiw language|Hiw]], Igala

|-

| lab^zdprotruded [[labial-velar nasal]]

| <big>{{IPA|[ŋ͡mʷ]}}</big>

| [[Dorig language|Dorig]], [[Mwotlap language|Mwotlap]]

|-

| rowspan colspan= "72" colspanrowspan=2"8" | Approximants

| lab^zd [[alveolar lateral approximant]]

| <big>{{audio-IPA|Labialized alveolar lateral approximant.ogg|[lʷ]|help=no}}</big>

| Lao

|-

| lab^zd [[labiodental approximant]]{{explain|date=December 2023}}

| <big>{{IPA|[ʋʷ]}}</big>

| Russian<ref name="yb">{{Harvcoltxt|Yanushevskaya|Bunčić|2015|p=223}}</ref>

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|-

| [[Labio-velar approximant]] (voiced)

| <big>{{IPA|[wɰᵝ]}}</big>

| in Japanese

| widespread; in every above-mentioned language, as well as e.g. [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[English language|English]], [[Korean language|Korean]], [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]

| -

|Protruded [[labio-velar approximant]] (voiced)

|<big>{{IPA|[ɰʷ]}}</big>

| widespread; in every above-mentioned language, as well as e.g. [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[English language|English]], [[Korean language|Korean]], [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]

|-

| [[Voiceless labio-velar approximant]]

| <big>{{IPA|[ʍ]}}</big>

| certain dialects of English, [[Gothic language|Gothic]]

|-

| [[nasal labialized velar approximant]]

| <big>{{IPA|[w̃]}}</big>

| Polish, Portuguese

|

|-

| lab^zd [[postalveolar approximant]]

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|-

| rowspan="14" colspan=2 | Ejectives

| lab^zdprotruded [[bilabial ejective]]

| <big>{{audio-IPA|labialized bilabial ejective.ogg|[pʷʼ]|help=no}}</big>

| [[Adyghe language|Adyghe]]

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==Bibliography==

*{{cite book |last=Crowley, |first=Terry. (|year=1997) ''|title=An Introduction to Historical Linguistics.'' 3rd |edition.=3rd |publisher=Oxford University Press.}}

* {{SOWL}}

* {{citationcite book

|last=Ruhlen

|first=M.Merritt

|author-link=Merritt Ruhlen

|year=1976

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}}

* {{Citationcite journal

|last1=Yanushevskaya

|first1=Irena