Retroflex describes a consonant sound made by curling the tip of the tongue back behind the alveolar ridge (the bony ridge behind your upper teeth). This results in a distinct articulation where the underside of the tongue's tip comes into contact with the roof of the mouth, further back than where 't' or 'd' are formed. retroflex sounds are common in many South Asian languages (like Hindi and Tamil) and are found in some other languages around the world. The exact place of articulation can vary slightly from speaker to speaker and language to language. The sound can be voiced (vibrating vocal cords) or voiceless (no vocal cord vibration).
Retroflex meaning with examples
- The Hindi word 'बड़ा' (baṛā), meaning 'big', features a retroflex 'ḍ' sound that is noticeably different from an English 'd'. Learning this pronunciation is key for native speakers.
- In Marathi, the retroflex 'ṭ' in words such as 'घट' (ghaṭa), meaning 'pot', adds a unique sonic texture differentiating it from similar sounding non-retroflex words.
- The Dravidian languages, like Tamil, employ many retroflex consonants. The 'ழ' sound often used, although not specifically a retroflex, shows the influence these languages have had on sounds.
- For those learning a new language such as Swedish, it may be interesting to learn of the use of retroflex in a slightly differing way.
- The phonetics of a language are of most important use when you are teaching it to someone from a different region.
Retroflex Synonyms
cerebral curled tongue inverted tongueRetroflex Antonyms
alveolar non-retroflexRetroflex Crossword Answers
9 Letters
CACUMINAL REPLICATE
11 Letters
RETROFLEXED