down tack

English

Noun

down tack (plural down tacks)

1. (phonetics) The IPA diacritic of primary articulation: ⟨˕⟩, used to denote a lowered phone; for vowels, the diacritic denotes a slightly more open utterance; for consonants, it moves the manner of articulation one step forward in this chain: nasal → plosive → fricative → approximant → trill → tap, flap → lateral fricative → lateral approximant → lateral flap.

Usage notes

• The down tack is usually written beneath the phonic character it modifies.

Derived terms

•  ̞  (the combining form)

Related terms

• ˔ (up tack)

Anagrams

• tack down