Voiced palatal approximant

Nasalized voiced palatal approximant
Nasalized voiced palatal approximant
j̃
Audio sample
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Voiced palatal approximant
Voiced palatal approximant
j
Audio sample
	source · help
Encoding
X-SAMPA	j
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The voiced palatal approximant is a sound used in some spoken languages. It is used in English, written as y, as in yes. Linguists usually call this symbol "yod," since in English, the name for the letter J starts with the /dʒ/ sound.

Characteristics

The phonation is voiced. This means that the vocal cords vibrate while the sound is being pronounced.
The place of articulation (where the sound is produced) is palatal. This means that this sound is produced with the middle or back part of the tongue raised to the hard palate.
The manner of articulation (how the sound is produced) is approximant. This means that this sound is produced by narrowing the vocal tract at the place this sound is produced. However, it is not narrowed enough to produce a turbulent airstream.
It is an oral consonant. This means that air is allowed to escape through the mouth only.
It is a central consonant. This means that this sound is produced by directing the air along the center of the tongue, but not to the sides.

Example

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Adyghe		ятӀэ / yat'a	[jatʼa]^ⓘ	'dirt'
Afrikaans		ja	[jɑː]	'yes'	See Afrikaans phonology
Arabic	Standard	يوم / yawm	[jawm]	'day'	See Arabic phonology
Aragonese		caye	[ˈkaʝ̞e̞]	'falls'	Unspecified for rounding approximant consonant; the language also features an unrounded palatal approximant semivowel (which may replace /ʝ̞/ before /e/).
Armenian	Eastern	յուղ / yuq	[juʁ]	'fat'
Assamese		মানৱীয়তা / manowiyota	[manɔwijɔta]	'humanity'
Assyrian		ܝܡܐ / yama	[jaːma]	'sea'
Azerbaijani		yuxu	[juχu]	'dream'
Basque		bai	[baj]	'yes'
Bengali		নয়ন / noyon	[nɔjon]	'eye'	A phonetic merger of the non-syllabic front vowels /i̯ e̯/. See Bengali phonology
Bulgarian		майка / majka	[ˈmajkɐ]	'mother'	See Bulgarian phonology
Catalan	All dialects	feia	[ˈfejɐ]	'I did'	See Catalan phonology
Catalan	Some dialects	jo	[ˈjɔ]	'I'	See Catalan phonology
Chechen		ялх / yalx	[jalx]	'six'
Chinese	Cantonese	日 / jat9	[jɐt˨ʔ]	'day'	See Cantonese phonology
Chinese	Mandarin	鸭 (鴨) / yā	[ja˥]	'duck'	See Mandarin phonology
Chuvash		йывӑҫ / yıvëş	[jɯʋəɕ̬]	'tree'
Czech		je	[jɛ]^ⓘ	'is'	See Czech phonology
Danish		jeg	[jɑ]	'I'	See Danish phonology
Dutch	Standard	ja	[jaː]^ⓘ	'yes'	Frequently realized as a fricative [ʝ], especially in emphatic speech. See Dutch phonology
English		you	[juː]	'you'	See English phonology
Esperanto		jaro	[jaro]	'year'	See Esperanto phonology
Estonian		jalg	[ˈjɑlɡ]	'leg'	See Estonian phonology
Finnish		jalka	[ˈjɑlkɑ]	'leg'	See Finnish phonology
French		yeux	[jø]	'eyes'	See French phonology
German	Standard	Jacke	[ˈjäkə]	'jacket'	Also described as a fricative [ʝ] and a sound variable between a fricative and an approximant. See Standard German phonology
Greek	Ancient Greek	εἴη / éiē	[ějːɛː]	's/he shall come'	See Ancient Greek phonology
Hebrew		ילד / yeled	[ˈjeled]	'kid'	See Modern Hebrew phonology
Hindustani		यान / یان / yán	[jäːn]	'vehicle'	See Hindustani phonology
Hungarian		játék	[jaːteːk]	'game'	See Hungarian phonology
Irish		ghearrfadh	[ˈjɑːɾˠhəx]	'would cut'	See Irish phonology
Ingush		ялат / jalat	['jalat]	'grain'	See Ingush phonology
Italian		ione	[ˈjoːne]	'ion'	See Italian phonology
Jalapa Mazatec		^{[example needed]}			Contrasts voiceless /j̊/, plain voiced /j/ and glottalized voiced /ȷ̃/ approximants.
Japanese		焼く / yaku	[jaku͍]	'to bake'	See Japanese phonology
Kabardian		йи / yi	[ji]	'game'
Kazakh		Яғни / yağni	[jaʁni]	'so'
Khmer		យំ / yom	[jom]	'to cry'	See Khmer phonology
Korean		여섯 / yeoseot	[jʌsʌt̚]	'six'	See Korean phonology
Latin		iacere	[ˈjakɛrɛ]	'to throw'	See Latin spelling and pronunciation
Lithuanian		ji	[jɪ]	'she'	Also described as a fricative [ʝ]. See Lithuanian phonology
Macedonian		крај / kraj	[kraj]	'end'	See Macedonian phonology
Malay		sayang	[sajaŋ]	'love'
Malayalam		പായ/paya	[paːjɐ]	'mat'	See Malayalam phonology
Maltese		jiekol	[jɪɛkol]	'he eats'
Mapudungun		kayu	[kɜˈjʊ]	'six'	May be a fricative [ʝ] instead.
Marathi		यश / yaš	[jəʃ]	'success'
Nepali		याम / yam	[jäm]	'season'	See Nepali phonology
Norwegian	Urban East	gi	[jiː]	'to give'	May be a fricative [ʝ] instead. See Norwegian phonology
Odia		ସମୟ / samaya	[sɔmɔjɔ]	'time'
Persian		یزد / Yäzd	[jæzd]	'Yazd'	See Persian phonology
Polish		jutro	[ˈjut̪rɔ]^ⓘ	'tomorrow'	See Polish phonology
Portuguese		boia	[ˈbɔjɐ]	'buoy', 'float'	Allophone of both /i/ and /ʎ/, as well as a very common epenthetic sound before coda sibilants in some dialects. See Portuguese phonology
Punjabi		ਯਾਰ / yár	[jäːɾ]	'friend'
Romanian		iar	[jar]	'again'	See Romanian phonology
Russian		яма / jama	[ˈjämə]	'pit'	See Russian phonology
Serbo-Croatian		југ / jug	[jûɡ]	'South'	See Serbo-Croatian phonology
Slovak		jesť	[jɛ̝sc]	'to eat'	See Slovak phonology
Slovene		jaz	[ˈjʌ̂s̪]	'I'
Solos		yas	[jas]	'up'	See Alphabet section in Solos language
Spanish	Standard	ayer	[aˈʝ̞e̞ɾ]^ⓘ	'yesterday'	Unspecified for rounding approximant consonant; the language also features an unrounded palatal approximant semivowel. Contrast with /j/. See Spanish phonology
	Standard	tierra	[ˈt̪je.ra]^ⓘ	'earth'
	Rioplatense	hielo	[ˈje.lo]	'ice'
Swedish		jag	[ˈjɑːɡ]	'I'	May be realized as a palatal fricative [ʝ] instead. See Swedish phonology
Tagalog		maya	[ˈmajɐ]	'sparrow'
Tamil		யானை	[ˈjaːnaɪ]	'elephant'	See Tamil phonology
Telugu		యాతన / yatana	[jaːtana]	'agony'
Turkish		yol	[jo̞ɫ̪]	'way'	See Turkish phonology
Turkmen		ýüpek	[jypek]	'silk'
Ubykh		ајәушқӏa / ajëwšq'a	[ajəwʃqʼa]	'you did it'	See Ubykh phonology
Ukrainian		їжак / ïžak	[jiˈʒɑk]	'hedgehog'	See Ukrainian phonology
Vietnamese	Southern dialects	de	[jɛ]	'cinnamon'	Corresponds to northern /z/. See Vietnamese phonology
Washo		dayáʔ	[daˈjaʔ]	'leaf'	Contrasts voiceless /j̊/ and voiced /j/ approximants.
Welsh		iaith	[jai̯θ]	'language'	See Welsh phonology
West Frisian		jas	[jɔs]	'coat'	See West Frisian phonology
Zapotec	Tilquiapan	yan	[jaŋ]	'neck'

Nasal

The nasal voiced palatal approximant is a sound used in some spoken languages. It is not in English, but is in Sakha, and other languages.

Characteristics

The phonation is voiced. This means that the vocal cords vibrate while the sound is being pronounced.
The place of articulation (where the sound is produced) is palatal. This means that this sound is produced with the middle or back part of the tongue raised to the hard palate.
It is a nasal consonant. This means that air is allowed to escape through the nose, either exclusively (nasal stops) or in addition to through the mouth.
The manner of articulation (how the sound is produced) is approximant. This means that this sound is produced by narrowing the vocal tract at the place this sound is produced. However, it is not narrowed enough to produce a turbulent airstream.

Examples

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Nheengatu		nheẽ	[j̃ẽʔẽ]	'to speak'	Influenced Brazilian Portuguese ⟨nh⟩ sound. Sometimes written with ⟨ñ⟩
Hindustani		संयम / sanyama	[səj̃jəm]	'patience'	Allophone of /n/ before [j]. See Hindustani phonology
Kaingang		[j̃ũ]		'brave'	Possible word-initial realization of /j/ before a nasal vowel.
Lombard		bisògn de	[biˈzɔj̃ d̪e]	'need for (something)'	Allophone of /ɲ/ before a consonant. See Lombard phonology
Louisiana Creole		sinñin	sɛ̃j̃ɛ̃	'bleed'	Intervocalic allophone of /ɲ/
Polish		państwo	[ˈpãj̃stfɔ]^ⓘ	'state, country'	Allophone of /ɲ/ before fricatives. See Polish phonology
Portuguese	Brazilian	sonho	[ˈsõj̃ʊ]	'dream'	Allophone of /ɲ/ between vowels, nasalizes the preceding vowel. Language's original /ɲ/ sound. See Portuguese phonology
	Most dialects	cães	[kɐ̃j̃s]	'dogs'	Allophone of /i/ after nasal vowels.
	Some dialects	me ame!	[ˈmj̃ɐ̃mi]	'love me!'	Non-syllabic allophone of /i/ between nasal sounds.
Shipibo		^{[example needed]}			Allophone of /j/ after nasal vowels.
Spanish	Zwolle-Ebarb	año	[ˈãj̃o]	'year'	Allophone of /ɲ/ between vowels, nasalizing the preceding vowel.
Spanish	Other dialects, occasional in rapid, unguarded speech	niños	[ˈnij̃os]	'kids'	Allophone of /ɲ/. Because nasality is retained and there is no potential merger with any other Spanish phonemes, this process is rarely noticed, and its geographical distribution has never been determined.
Sakha		айыы	[aȷ̃ɯː]	'sin, transgression'	/ȷ̃/ is not distinguished from /j/ in the orthography.

References

1 2 Mott (2007), pp. 105–106.
↑ Dum-Tragut (2009), p. 13.
↑ Carbonell & Llisterri (1992), p. 53.
1 2 Collins & Mees (2003), p. 198.
↑ Kohler (1999), p. 86.
↑ Moosmüller, Schmid & Brandstätter (2015), p. 340.
↑ Mangold (2005), p. 51.
↑ Krech et al. (2009), p. 83.
↑ Hall (2003), p. 48.
↑ Ó Sé (2000), p. 17.
↑ Rogers & d'Arcangeli (2004), p. 117.
1 2 Silverman et al. (1995), p. 83.
↑ Mathiassen (1996), pp. 22–23.
↑ Augustaitis (1964), p. 23.
↑ Ambrazas et al. (1997), pp. 46–47.
1 2 Sadowsky et al. (2013), p. 91.
↑ Kristoffersen (2000), pp. 22 and 25.
1 2 Vanvik (1979), p. 41.
↑ Kristoffersen (2000), p. 74.
↑ Jassem (2003), p. 103.
↑ Delta: Documentation of studies on theoric and applied Linguistics – Problems in the tense variant of carioca speech (in Portuguese).
↑ The acoustic-articulatory path of the lateral palatal consonant's allophony(in Portuguese). Pages 223 and 228.
↑ Yanushevskaya & Bunčić (2015), p. 223.
↑ Landau et al. (1999), p. 67.
↑ Pavlík (2004), p. 106.
1 2 Martínez Celdrán (2004), p. 205.
↑ Zimmer & Orgun (1999), p. 154.
↑ Merrill (2008), p. 108.
↑ Canepari (2005:335)
↑ Jolkesky (2009:676, 681)
↑ Jolkesky (2009:681)
↑ Klingler, Thomas A.; Neumann-Holzschuh, Ingrid (2013). "Louisiana Creole". In Michaelis, Susanne Maria; Maurer, Philippe; Haspelmath, Martin; Huber, Magnus (eds.). The survey of pidgin and creole languages. Vol. 2: Portuguese-based, Spanish–based, and French-based languages. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-967770-2.
↑ Gussman (2007)
↑ Perini (2002:?)
1 2 Portuguese vinho: diachronic evidence for biphonemic nasal vowels
↑ Mattos e Silva (1991:73)
↑ Vigário (2003:77)
1 2 Valenzuela, Márquez Pinedo & Maddieson (2001:283)
↑ Stark (1980:170)
↑ Lipski, John M. (1989). "Spanish yeísmo and the palatal resonants: Towards a unified analysis" (PDF). Probus. 1 (2). doi:10.1515/prbs.1989.1.2.211. S2CID 170139844.^{[dead link]}
↑ "Yakut (Sakha) language and alphabet". omniglot.com. Retrieved 2024-08-01.

[FOOTNOTEMott2007105–106-1] 1 2 Mott (2007), pp. 105–106.

[FOOTNOTEDum-Tragut200913-2] Dum-Tragut (2009), p. 13.

[FOOTNOTECarbonellLlisterri199253-3] Carbonell & Llisterri (1992), p. 53.

[FOOTNOTECollinsMees2003198-4] 1 2 Collins & Mees (2003), p. 198.

[FOOTNOTEKohler199986-5] Kohler (1999), p. 86.

[FOOTNOTEMoosmüllerSchmidBrandstätter2015340-6] Moosmüller, Schmid & Brandstätter (2015), p. 340.

[FOOTNOTEMangold200551-7] Mangold (2005), p. 51.

[FOOTNOTEKrech_et_al.200983-8] Krech et al. (2009), p. 83.

[FOOTNOTEHall200348-9] Hall (2003), p. 48.

[FOOTNOTEÓ_Sé200017-10] Ó Sé (2000), p. 17.

[FOOTNOTERogersd'Arcangeli2004117-11] Rogers & d'Arcangeli (2004), p. 117.

[FOOTNOTESilvermanBlankenshipKirkLadefoged199583-12] 1 2 Silverman et al. (1995), p. 83.

[FOOTNOTEMathiassen199622–23-13] Mathiassen (1996), pp. 22–23.

[FOOTNOTEAugustaitis196423-14] Augustaitis (1964), p. 23.

[FOOTNOTEAmbrazas_et_al.199746–47-15] Ambrazas et al. (1997), pp. 46–47.

[FOOTNOTESadowsky_et_al.201391-16] 1 2 Sadowsky et al. (2013), p. 91.

[FOOTNOTEKristoffersen200022_and_25-17] Kristoffersen (2000), pp. 22 and 25.

[FOOTNOTEVanvik197941-18] 1 2 Vanvik (1979), p. 41.

[FOOTNOTEKristoffersen200074-19] Kristoffersen (2000), p. 74.

[FOOTNOTEJassem2003103-20] Jassem (2003), p. 103.

[21] Delta: Documentation of studies on theoric and applied Linguistics – Problems in the tense variant of carioca speech (in Portuguese).

[anglophones_learning_lh-22] The acoustic-articulatory path of the lateral palatal consonant's allophony(in Portuguese). Pages 223 and 228.

[FOOTNOTEYanushevskayaBunčić2015223-23] Yanushevskaya & Bunčić (2015), p. 223.

[FOOTNOTELandauLončarićaHorgaŠkarić199967-24] Landau et al. (1999), p. 67.

[FOOTNOTEPavlík2004106-25] Pavlík (2004), p. 106.

[FOOTNOTEMartínez_Celdrán2004205-26] 1 2 Martínez Celdrán (2004), p. 205.

[FOOTNOTEZimmerOrgun1999154-27] Zimmer & Orgun (1999), p. 154.

[FOOTNOTEMerrill2008108-28] Merrill (2008), p. 108.

[29] Canepari (2005:335)

[30] Jolkesky (2009:676, 681)

[31] Jolkesky (2009:681)

[32] Klingler, Thomas A.; Neumann-Holzschuh, Ingrid (2013). "Louisiana Creole". In Michaelis, Susanne Maria; Maurer, Philippe; Haspelmath, Martin; Huber, Magnus (eds.). The survey of pidgin and creole languages. Vol. 2: Portuguese-based, Spanish–based, and French-based languages. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-967770-2.

[33] Gussman (2007)

[34] Perini (2002:?)

[vinho-35] 1 2 Portuguese vinho: diachronic evidence for biphonemic nasal vowels

[36] Mattos e Silva (1991:73)

[37] Vigário (2003:77)

[val283-38] 1 2 Valenzuela, Márquez Pinedo & Maddieson (2001:283)

[39] Stark (1980:170)

[40] Lipski, John M. (1989). "Spanish yeísmo and the palatal resonants: Towards a unified analysis" (PDF). Probus. 1 (2). doi:10.1515/prbs.1989.1.2.211. S2CID 170139844.^{[dead link]}

[41] "Yakut (Sakha) language and alphabet". omniglot.com. Retrieved 2024-08-01.