The velar lateral flap is an allophone of the velar lateral approximant in some languages of New Guinea, such as Kanite and Melpa. The extremely short duration of the in intervocalic position (20–30 ms) warrants calling it a tap, according to Peter Ladefoged and Ian Maddieson.
There is no specific symbol for this sound. However, an IPA capital el with a breve for extra-short, would capture Ladefoged and Maddieson's description.
Famous quotes containing the word flap:
“Let Sporus tremble—‘What? That thing of silk,
Sporus, that mere white curd of ass’s milk?
Satire or sense, alas, can Sporus feel,
Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?’
Yet let me flap this bug with gilded wings,
This painted child of dirt, that stinks and stings;
Whose buzz the witty and the fair annoys,
Yet wit ne’er tastes, and beauty ne’er enjoys:”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)