Voiced uvular lateral approximant

The voiced uvular lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in the English language. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ʟ̠⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is L\_-. ⟨ʟ̠⟩ may also represent the pharyngeal or epiglottal lateral approximant, a physically possible sound that is not attested in any language.^[1] The letter for a back-velar in the Uralic Phonetic Alphabet, ⟨ᴫ⟩, may also be used.

Voiced uvular lateral approximant
ʟ̠
IPA number	158 414
Audio sample
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Encoding
X-SAMPA	L\_-

Voiced pharyngeal/epiglottal lateral approximant
ʟ̠

Features

Features of the voiced uvular lateral approximant:

• Its manner of articulation is approximant, which means it is produced by narrowing the vocal tract at the place of articulation, but not enough to produce a turbulent airstream.
• Its place of articulation is uvular, which means it is articulated with the back of the tongue (the dorsum) at the uvula.
• Its phonation is voiced, which means the vocal cords vibrate during the articulation.
• It is an oral consonant, which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth only.
• It is a lateral consonant, which means it is produced by directing the airstream over the sides of the tongue, rather than down the middle.
• Its airstream mechanism is pulmonic, which means it is articulated by pushing air solely with the intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles, as in most sounds.

Occurrence

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
English	Some American speakers[2]	wool	[wʊʟ̠]	'wool'	May be velar or simply alveolar instead.[2] See English phonology.

Tap or flap

Voiced uvular lateral tap or flap
ʟ̠̆

Voiced pharyngeal/epiglottal lateral tap or flap
ʟ̠̆

The voiced uvular, and pharyngeal/epiglottal lateral taps or flaps are the taps or flaps versions of the approximants, though it is unlikely that is occurs in any languages.