Retroflex (definition)

Retroflex sounds are produced by the curling the tip of the tongue backwards just behind the alveolar ridge. Many speakers of English produce the r sound [ɹ] as a retroflex consonant: [ɻ]. In this case, it is an example of free variation and does not alter the meaning of the word in which it appears. Like English, retroflexivity is not phonemic and Gaelic, however <rr> is often produced as retroflex.

See Also

• Rhotic (definition)
• Alveolar (definition)
• Manner of Articulation (definition)
• Sounds of Scottish Gaelic

External Links

• http://akerbeltz.org/index.php?title=rt_%26_rd
• http://akerbeltz.org/index.php?title=l_n_r

The link below takes you away from the Gaelic Wiki to Wikipedia. Since wikipedia pages can be edited by anyone, they often contain inaccurate information. So be careful!

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retroflex

References

• Crystal, David. (1997) A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
• Ladefoged, D. (2010) A Course in Phonetics. 6th Edition. Wadsworth Publishing.