Approximant consonant facts for kids
An approximant consonant is a consonant that sounds in some ways like a vowel. For example, lateral approximants like the sound for "l" in the English word "like", the sound for "r" in the English word "right", and semivowels like the sound for "y" in "yes" and the sound for "w" in "wet" are all approximants. These sounds are pronounced by bringing two parts of the mouth, for example the tongue and the roof of the mouth, close to each other. However, it is not close enough to cause the air to be blocked, like in a fricative consonant. Also, the parts are not far apart enough to become a vowel.
Contents
Semivowels
Semivowels are a type of approximant consonant, which sound like vowels if you pronounced them alone. However, many languages use them as consonants. Here are the common semivowels in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
| Vowel | Corresponding Approximant |
Place of articulation |
Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palatal | Spanish amplío ('I extend') vs. ampliamos ('we extend') | ||
| Labiopalatal | French aigu ('sharp') vs. aiguille ('needle') | ||
| Velar | Korean 쓰다 ('wear something') vs. 씌우다 ('someone makes somebody wears something') | ||
| Labiovelar | Spanish actúo ('I act') vs. actuamos ('we act') | ||
| Retroflex | American English waiter vs. waitress |
Central approximants
- bilabial approximant (usually transcribed)
- labiodental approximant
- dental approximant (usually transcribed)
- alveolar approximant
- retroflex approximant (a consonantal)
- palatal approximant (a consonantal)
- velar approximant (a consonantal)
- uvular approximant (usually transcribed)
- pharyngeal approximant (a consonantal usually transcribed)
- epiglottal approximant (usually transcribed)
Lateral approximants
In lateral approximants, only the centre of the tongue touches the roof of the mouth. So, air can only flow through the sides of the tongue, like the sound "l" in "like".
- voiced alveolar lateral approximant
- retroflex lateral approximant
- palatal lateral approximant
- velar lateral approximant
- velarized alveolar lateral approximant
Coarticulated approximants with dedicated IPA symbols
- voiced labialized velar approximant (a consonantal)
- voiceless labialized velar approximant(a consonantal)
- labialized palatal approximant (a consonantal)
See also
In Spanish: Consonante aproximante para niños
