Voiceless velar plosive
The voiceless velar plosive or stop is a type of consonantal sound used in almost all spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨k⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is k
.
Voiceless velar plosive | |
---|---|
k | |
IPA Number | 109 |
Encoding | |
Entity (decimal) | k |
Unicode (hex) | U+006B |
X-SAMPA | k |
Braille | |
Audio sample | |
source · help |
The [k] sound is a very common sound cross-linguistically. Most languages have at least a plain [k], and some distinguish more than one variety. Most Indo-Aryan languages, such as Hindi and Bengali, have a two-way contrast between aspirated and plain [k]. Only a few languages lack a voiceless velar plosive, e.g. Tahitian.
Some languages have the voiceless pre-velar plosive,[1] which is articulated slightly more front compared with the place of articulation of the prototypical velar plosive, though not as front as the prototypical palatal plosive.
Conversely, some languages have the voiceless post-velar plosive,[2] which is articulated slightly behind the place of articulation of the prototypical velar plosive, though not as back as the prototypical uvular plosive.
Features
Features of the voiceless velar stop:
- Its manner of articulation is occlusive, which means it is produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract. Since the consonant is also oral, with no nasal outlet, the airflow is blocked entirely, and the consonant is a plosive.
- Its place of articulation is velar, which means it is articulated with the back of the tongue (the dorsum) at the soft palate.
- Its phonation is voiceless, which means it is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords. In some languages the vocal cords are actively separated, so it is always voiceless; in others the cords are lax, so that it may take on the voicing of adjacent sounds.
- It is an oral consonant, which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth only.
- It is a central consonant, which means it is produced by directing the airstream along the center of the tongue, rather than to the sides.
- The airstream mechanism is pulmonic, which means it is articulated by pushing air solely with the lungs and diaphragm, as in most sounds.
Varieties
IPA | Description |
---|---|
k | plain k |
kʰ | aspirated k |
kʲ | palatalized k |
kʷ | labialized k |
k̚ | k with no audible release |
k̬ | voiced k |
k͈ | tense k |
kʼ | ejective k |
Occurrence
Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abkhaz | ақалақь/ak̇halak̇h’ | [ˈakalakʲ] | 'the city' | See Abkhaz phonology | |
Adyghe | Shapsug | кьэт/k′ėt | [kʲat] | 'chicken' | Dialectal; corresponds to [t͡ʃ] in other dialects. |
Temirgoy | пскэн/pskėn | [pskan] | 'to cough' | ||
Ahtna | gistaann | [kɪstʰɐːn] | 'six' | ||
Aleut[3] | kiikax̂ | [kiːkaχ] | 'cranberry bush' | ||
Arabic | Modern Standard[4] | كتب/kutib | [ˈkatabɐ] | 'he wrote' | See Arabic phonology |
Armenian | Eastern[5] | քաղաք/ k'aġak'/k'aghak | [kʰɑˈʁɑkʰ] | 'town' | Contrasts with unaspirated form. |
Assamese | কম/kom | [kɔm] | 'less' | ||
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | kuleh | [kulɛː] | 'all' | Used in most varieties, with the exception of the Urmia and Nochiya dialects where it corresponds to [t͡ʃ]. | |
Basque | katu | [kat̪u] | 'cat' | ||
Bengali | কম/kom | [kɔm] | 'less' | Contrasts with aspirated form. See Bengali phonology | |
Bulgarian | как/kak | [kak] | 'how' | See Bulgarian phonology | |
Catalan[6] | quinze | [ˈkinzə] | 'fifteen' | See Catalan phonology | |
Chinese | Cantonese | 家 / gā | [kaː˥] | 'home' | Contrasts with aspirated and or labialized forms. See Cantonese phonology |
Hokkien | 歌 koa | [kua] | 'song' | ||
Mandarin | 高 / gāo | [kɑʊ˥] | 'high' | Contrasts with aspirated form. See Mandarin phonology | |
Chuvash | кукка | [ku'kːɑ] | 'mother's brother' | ||
Czech | kost | [kost] | 'bone' | See Czech phonology | |
Danish | Standard[7] | gås | [ˈkɔ̽ːs] | 'goose' | Usually transcribed in IPA with ⟨ɡ̊⟩ or ⟨ɡ⟩. Contrasts with aspirated form, which is usually transcribed in IPA with ⟨kʰ⟩ or ⟨k⟩. See Danish phonology |
Dutch[8] | koning | [ˈkoːnɪŋ] | 'king' | See Dutch phonology | |
English | kiss | [kʰɪs] | 'kiss' | See English phonology | |
Esperanto | rakonto | [raˈkonto] | 'tale' | See Esperanto phonology | |
Estonian | kõik | [kɤik] | 'all' | See Estonian phonology | |
Esperanto | kato | [kato] | 'cat' | ||
Filipino | kuto | [ˈkuto] | 'lice' | ||
Finnish | kakku | [kɑkːu] | 'cake' | See Finnish phonology | |
French[9] | cabinet | [kabinɛ] | 'office' | See French phonology | |
Georgian[10] | ქვა/kva | [kʰva] | 'stone' | ||
German | Käfig | [ˈkʰɛːfɪç] | 'cage' | See Standard German phonology | |
Greek | καλόγερος / kalógeros | [kaˈlo̞ʝe̞ro̞s̠] | 'monk' | See Modern Greek phonology | |
Gujarati | કાંદો/kaṃde | [kɑːnd̪oː] | 'onion' | See Gujarati phonology | |
Hebrew | כסף / kesef | [ˈkesef] | 'money' | See Modern Hebrew phonology | |
Hiligaynon | kadlaw | [kad̪law] | 'laugh' | ||
Hindustani | काम / کام | [kɑːm] | 'work' | Contrasts with aspirated form. See Hindustani phonology | |
Hungarian | akkor | [ɒkkor] | 'then' | See Hungarian phonology | |
Italian[11] | casa | [ˈkäːzä] | 'house' | See Italian phonology | |
Japanese[12] | 鞄 / kaban | [kabaɴ] | 'handbag' | See Japanese phonology | |
Kagayanen[13] | kalag | [kað̞aɡ] | 'spirit' | ||
Korean | 감자 / kamja | [kamdʐa] | 'potato' | See Korean phonology | |
Lakota | kimímela | [kɪˈmɪmela] | 'butterfly' | ||
Luxembourgish[14] | geess | [ˈkeːs] | 'goat' | Less often voiced [ɡ]. It is usually transcribed in IPA as ⟨ɡ⟩, and it contrasts with aspirated form, which is usually transcribed ⟨k⟩.[14] See Luxembourgish phonology | |
Macedonian | кој | [kɔj] | 'who' | See Macedonian phonology | |
Marathi | कवच | [kəʋət͡s] | 'armour' | Contrasts with aspirated form. See Marathi phonology | |
Malay | kaki | [käki] | 'leg' | ||
Nepali | केरा | [keɾä] | 'banana' | Contrasts with aspirated form. See Nepali phonology | |
Norwegian | kake | [kɑːkɛ] | 'cake' | See Norwegian phonology | |
Odia | କାମ/kāma | [kämɔ] | 'work' | Contrasts with aspirated form. | |
Pashto | كال/kal | [kɑl] | 'year' | ||
Persian | کیمچی/kimci | [kimt͡ʃi] | 'kimchi' | ||
Polish[15] | buk | [ˈbuk] | 'beech tree' | See Polish phonology | |
Portuguese[16] | corpo | [ˈkoɾpu] | 'body' | See Portuguese phonology | |
Punjabi | ਕਰ/کر/kar | [kəɾ] | 'do' | Contrasts with aspirated form. | |
Romanian[17] | când | [ˈkɨnd] | 'when' | See Romanian phonology | |
Russian[18] | короткий/korotkiy | [kɐˈrotkʲɪj] | 'short' | See Russian phonology | |
Serbo-Croatian[19] | кост / kost | [kȏːs̪t̪] | 'bone' | See Serbo-Croatian phonology | |
Slovak | kosť | [kɔ̝sc̟] | 'bone' | See Slovak phonology | |
Spanish[20] | casa | [ˈkäsä] | 'house' | See Spanish phonology | |
Swedish | ko | [ˈkʰuː] | 'cow' | See Swedish phonology | |
Sylheti | ꠇꠤꠔꠣ/kita | [kɪt̪à] | 'what' | ||
Telugu | కాకి/kāki | [kāki] | 'crow' | ||
Thai | ไก่/kị̀ | [kaj˨˩] | 'chicken' | Contrasts with an aspirated form. | |
Turkish | kulak | [kʰuɫäk] | 'ear' | See Turkish phonology | |
Ubykh | кауар/kawar | [kawar] | 'slat' | Found mostly in loanwords. See Ubykh phonology | |
Ukrainian[21] | колесо/koleso | [ˈkɔɫɛsɔ] | 'wheel' | See Ukrainian phonology | |
Vietnamese[22] | cam | [kam] | 'orange' | See Vietnamese phonology | |
Welsh | calon | [kalɔn] | 'heart' | See Welsh phonology | |
West Frisian | keal | [kɪəl] | 'calf' | See West Frisian phonology | |
Yi | ꇰ / ge | [kɤ˧] | 'foolish' | Contrasts aspirated and unaspirated forms. | |
Zapotec | Tilquiapan[23] | canza | [kanza] | 'walking' |
Notes
- Instead of "pre-velar", it can be called "advanced velar", "fronted velar", "front-velar", "palato-velar", "post-palatal", "retracted palatal" or "backed palatal".
- Instead of "post-velar", it can be called "retracted velar", "backed velar", "pre-uvular", "advanced uvular" or "fronted uvular".
- Ladefoged (2005), p. 165.
- Thelwall (1990), p. 37.
- Dum-Tragut (2009), p. 13.
- Carbonell & Llisterri (1992), p. 53.
- Basbøll (2005:61)
- Gussenhoven (1992), p. 45.
- Fougeron & Smith (1993), p. 73.
- Shosted & Chikovani (2006), p. 255.
- Rogers & d'Arcangeli (2004), p. 117.
- Okada (1999), p. 117.
- Olson et al. (2010), pp. 206–207.
- Gilles & Trouvain (2013:67–68)
- Jassem (2003), p. 103.
- Cruz-Ferreira (1995), p. 91.
- DEX Online :
- Padgett (2003), p. 42.
- Landau et al. (1999), p. 66.
- Martínez-Celdrán, Fernández-Planas & Carrera-Sabaté (2003), p. 255.
- Danyenko & Vakulenko (1995), p. 4.
- Thompson (1959), pp. 458–461.
- Merrill (2008), p. 108.
References
- Basbøll, Hans (2005), The Phonology of Danish, ISBN 0-203-97876-5
- Carbonell, Joan F.; Llisterri, Joaquim (1992), "Catalan", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 22 (1–2): 53–56, doi:10.1017/S0025100300004618
- Cruz-Ferreira, Madalena (1995), "European Portuguese", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 25 (2): 90–94, doi:10.1017/S0025100300005223
- Danyenko, Andrii; Vakulenko, Serhii (1995), Ukrainian, Lincom Europa, ISBN 9783929075083
- Dum-Tragut, Jasmine (2009), Armenian: Modern Eastern Armenian, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company
- Fougeron, Cecile; Smith, Caroline L. (1993), "French", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 23 (2): 73–76, doi:10.1017/S0025100300004874
- Gilles, Peter; Trouvain, Jürgen (2013), "Luxembourgish" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 43 (1): 67–74, doi:10.1017/S0025100312000278
- Gussenhoven, Carlos (1992), "Dutch", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 22 (2): 45–47, doi:10.1017/S002510030000459X
- Jassem, Wiktor (2003), "Polish", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 33 (1): 103–107, doi:10.1017/S0025100303001191
- Ladefoged, Peter (2005), Vowels and Consonants (Second ed.), Blackwell
- Martínez-Celdrán, Eugenio; Fernández-Planas, Ana Ma.; Carrera-Sabaté, Josefina (2003), "Castilian Spanish", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 33 (2): 255–259, doi:10.1017/S0025100303001373
- Merrill, Elizabeth (2008), "Tilquiapan Zapotec" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 38 (1): 107–114, doi:10.1017/S0025100308003344
- Okada, Hideo (1999), "Japanese", in International Phonetic Association (ed.), Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet, Cambridge University Press, pp. 117–119, ISBN 978-0-52163751-0
- Olson, Kenneth; Mielke, Jeff; Sanicas-Daguman, Josephine; Pebley, Carol Jean; Paterson, Hugh J., III (2010), "The phonetic status of the (inter)dental approximant", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 40 (2): 199–215, doi:10.1017/S0025100309990296
- Padgett, Jaye (2003), "Contrast and Post-Velar Fronting in Russian", Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 21 (1): 39–87, doi:10.1023/A:1021879906505, S2CID 13470826
- Rogers, Derek; d'Arcangeli, Luciana (2004), "Italian", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 34 (1): 117–121, doi:10.1017/S0025100304001628
- Shosted, Ryan K.; Chikovani, Vakhtang (2006), "Standard Georgian" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 36 (2): 255–264, doi:10.1017/S0025100306002659
- Thelwall, Robin (1990), "Arabic", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 20 (2): 37–41, doi:10.1017/S0025100300004266
- Thompson, Laurence (1959), "Saigon phonemics", Language, 35 (3): 454–476, doi:10.2307/411232, JSTOR 411232
- Landau, Ernestina; Lončarića, Mijo; Horga, Damir; Škarić, Ivo (1999), "Croatian", Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A guide to the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 66–69, ISBN 978-0-521-65236-0
External links
- List of languages with [k] on PHOIBLE