Advanced and Retracted
| Advanced, retracted | |
|---|---|
| ◌̟ | |
| ◌̠ |
A fronted or advanced sound is one that is pronounced farther to the front of the vocal tract than some reference point. The diacritic for this in the IPA is the subscript plus, U+031F ̟ combining plus sign below (HTML: ̟). Conversely, a retracted or backed sound is one that is pronounced farther to the back of the vocal tract, and its IPA diacritic is the subscript minus U+0320 ̠ combining minus sign below (HTML: ̠). Both consonants and vowels may be fronted or backed.
In English, the back vowel /u/ is farther forward than what is normally indicated by the IPA letter ‹u›. This fronting may be shown explicitly, especially within a narrow transcription: . Whether this is as far front as the central vowel, or somewhere between and, may need to be clarified verbally.
In General American English, the /t/ in the word eighth is farther front than normal, due to assimilation with the interdental consonant /θ/, and may be transcribed as .
The difference between a fronted and non-fronted consonant can be heard in the English words key and coo, where the /k/ in key is fronted under the influence of the front vowel /i/.
In verbal description, the prefix pre- may be used to indicated fronting, especially in the terms prepalatal and prevelar. Otherwise phrases like "fronted u" may be used.
In English, the plosive in the affricate /tʃ/, as in the word church, is farther back than an alveolar /t/ due to assimilation with the postalveolar fricative /ʃ/. In narrow transcription, /tʃ/ may be transcribed .
Languages may have phonemes that are farther back than the nearest IPA symbol. For example, Polish sz is a postalveolar sibilant. While this is often transcribed as, it is not domed (partially palatalized) the way a prototypical is. A more precise transcription therefore is . Similarly, the velar consonants in Kwakiutl are actually postvelar; that is, pronounced farther back than a prototypical velar, between velar and uvular, and is thus transcribed .
Officially, the IPA symbol stands for a front vowel. However, in most languages where it is used, /a/ actually stands for a central vowel. If precision is desired, this may also be indicated with the minus sign, or possibly with the centralized diacritic ; yet another possible notation is with the lowered diacritic .
Either the prefix post- may be used to indicated retraction, as above, or phrases like "retracted i" may be used.
Read more about this topic: Relative Articulation
Famous quotes containing the words advanced and/or retracted:
“Predatory capitalism created a complex industrial system and an advanced technology; it permitted a considerable extension of democratic practice and fostered certain liberal values, but within limits that are now being pressed and must be overcome. It is not a fit system for the mid- twentieth century.”
—Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)
“For it is wretchedness that endures, shedding its cancerous light on all it approaches:
Words spoken in the heat of passion, that might have been retracted in good time,
All good intentions, all that was arguable.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)