retroflex

See also: Retroflex

English

WOTD – 5 April 2008

Etymology

From Latin rētrōflexus, the perfect participle of rētrōflectō (“bend, turn”), from flectō (“bend, turn”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt.ɹəʊ.flɛks/, /ˈɹɛt.ɹə.flɛks/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt.ɹoʊ.flɛks/, /ˈɹɛt.ɹə.flɛks/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (Indic) IPA^(key): /ɾɛʈɾoflɛks/

Adjective

retroflex (comparative more retroflex, superlative most retroflex)

1. Bent or curved backwards.
2. (phonetics) Of pronunciation in which the tip of the tongue is raised and bent backwards, so that the underside of the tongue approaches or touches the palate.
   • 2015 December 4, “Discrimination of Multiple Coronal Stop Contrasts in Wubuy (Australia): A Natural Referent Consonant Account”, in PLOS ONE‎, →DOI:

     In the case of the Wubuy alveolar versus retroflex contrast for instance, we argue that the phonetic overlap is so great that native listeners can behave as if this were an instance of a good and a 'less good' instance of a single category (CG).

3. (phonetics) Of pronunciation in which the tip of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
4. (phonetics) Of pronunciation in which the blade of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
5. (phonetics, general sense) Of any of the aforementioned pronunciations.

Synonyms

• (bent backwards): reflexed
• (of pronunciation with the tongue underside): subapical palatal
• (of pronunciation with the tongue tip): apical postalveolar
• (of pronunciation with the tongue blade): laminal postalveolar, flat postalveolar

Derived terms

• nonretroflex
• retroflexive

Related terms

• retroflex hook
• retroflexed
• retroflexion

Translations

bent backwards

Arabic: مُرْتَدّ (murtadd) Bulgarian: извит назад (izvit nazad) Finnish: taaksepäin taipunut Manx: cooyl-chroymmit Portuguese: retroflexo

of pronunciation in which the tongue underside approaches/touches the palate

German: subapiko-palatal Norwegian: Bokmål: sub-apikal prepalatal, sub-apikal palatal Polish: subapikalno-prepalatalny, subapikalny prepalatalny, subapikalno-palatalny, subapikalny palatalny

of pronunciation in which the tongue tip approaches/touches the back of the alveolar ridge

German: apiko-postalveolar Norwegian: Bokmål: apikal postalveolar Polish: apikalny zadziąsłowy, apikalny postalweolarny, apikalno-postalweolarny

of pronunciation in which the tongue blade approaches/touches the back of the alveolar ridge

German: lamino-postalveolar Norwegian: Bokmål: laminal postalveolar Polish: laminalny zadziąsłowy, laminalny postalweolarny, lamino-postalweolarny

of any of the retroflex pronunciations

Dutch: retroflex (nl) Finnish: retrofleksinen (fi) French: rétroflexe (fr) German: retroflex (de) Greek: ανάστροφο (el) (anástrofo) Irish: aislúbtha Manx: cooyl-chroymmit Norwegian: Bokmål: retrofleks (no) Polish: z retrofleksją, retrofleksyjny Portuguese: retroflexo Punjabi: ਟਵਰਗ m (ṭavrag), ٹَوَرْگ m (ṭauarg) Russian: ретрофле́ксный (ru) (retrofléksnyj) Swedish: retroflex (sv) Welsh: olblyg

Noun

retroflex (plural retroflexes)

1. (phonetics) A consonant pronounced with the underside of the tongue approaching or touching the palate.
2. (phonetics) A consonant pronounced with the tip of the tongue approaching or touching the back of the alveolar ridge.
3. (phonetics) A consonant pronounced with the blade of the tongue approaching or touching the back of the alveolar ridge.
4. (phonetics, general sense) Any of the aforementioned consonants.

Translations

consonant pronounced with the tongue underside approaching/touching the palate

Polish: spółgłoska subapikalno-prepalatalna f, spółgłoska subapikalna prepalatalna f, spółgłoska subapikalno-palatalna f, spółgłoska subapikalna palatalna f

consonant pronounced with the tongue tip approaching/touching the back of the alveolar ridge

Polish: spółgłoska apikalna zadziąsłowa f, spółgłoska apikalna postalweolarna f, spółgłoska apikalno-postalweolarna f

consonant pronounced with the tongue blade approaching/touching the back of the alveolar ridge

Polish: spółgłoska laminalna zadziąsłowa f, spółgłoska laminalna postalweolarna f, spółgłoska lamino-postalweolarna f

any of the retroflex consonants

Chinese: Mandarin: 卷舌音 (zh) (juǎnshéyīn), 翹舌音 / 翘舌音 (zh) (qiàoshéyīn), 舌尖後音 / 舌尖后音 (zh) (shéjiānhòuyīn) Dutch: retroflex (nl) Finnish: retrofleksi (fi) German: Retroflex m Japanese: そり舌音 (そりじたおん, sorijitaon), 反り舌音 (そりじたおん, sorijitaon) Polish: spółgłoska z retrofleksją f, spółgłoska retrofleksyjna f Portuguese: retroflexa f Russian: ретрофле́ксный согла́сный m (retrofléksnyj soglásnyj) Thai: เสียงปลายลิ้นม้วน

Verb

retroflex (third-person singular simple present retroflexes, present participle retroflexing, simple past and past participle retroflexed)

1. (transitive) To bend or curve backwards.
   • 2010, Stephen Nicholls, Stephen Worthley, Cardiovascular Imaging for Clinical Practice, page 123:

     […] retroflexing the endoscope tip and mechanically rotating the transducer.

See also

• Retroflex consonant on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

German

Pronunciation

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Adjective

retroflex (strong nominative masculine singular retroflexer, not comparable)

1. (phonetics) retroflex

Declension

Positive forms of retroflex (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist retroflex	sie ist retroflex	es ist retroflex	sie sind retroflex
strong declension (without article)	nominative	retroflexer	retroflexe	retroflexes	retroflexe
	genitive	retroflexen	retroflexer	retroflexen	retroflexer
	dative	retroflexem	retroflexer	retroflexem	retroflexen
	accusative	retroflexen	retroflexe	retroflexes	retroflexe
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der retroflexe	die retroflexe	das retroflexe	die retroflexen
	genitive	des retroflexen	der retroflexen	des retroflexen	der retroflexen
	dative	dem retroflexen	der retroflexen	dem retroflexen	den retroflexen
	accusative	den retroflexen	die retroflexe	das retroflexe	die retroflexen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein retroflexer	eine retroflexe	ein retroflexes	(keine) retroflexen
	genitive	eines retroflexen	einer retroflexen	eines retroflexen	(keiner) retroflexen
	dative	einem retroflexen	einer retroflexen	einem retroflexen	(keinen) retroflexen
	accusative	einen retroflexen	eine retroflexe	ein retroflexes	(keine) retroflexen

Related terms

• Retroflex (“retroflex consonant”)

Further reading

• “retroflex” in Duden online
• “retroflex” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Swedish

Etymology

From English retroflex

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rɛtrʊˈflɛks/

Adjective

retroflex (not comparable)

1. (phonology, phonetics) retroflex

Declension

Inflection of retroflex

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	retroflex	—	—
neuter singular	retroflext	—	—
plural	retroflexa	—	—
masculine plural2	retroflexe	—	—
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	retroflexe	—	—
all	retroflexa	—	—

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Noun

retroflex c

1. (phonetics, phonology) retroflex consonant

Declension

Declension of retroflex

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	retroflex	retroflex
	definite	retroflexen	retroflexens
plural	indefinite	retroflexer	retroflexers
	definite	retroflexerna	retroflexernas

References

• retroflex in Svensk ordbok (SO)