The voiced velar lateral tap is an allophone of the velar lateral approximant in some languages of New Guinea, such as Kanite and Melpa. The extremely short duration of the [ʟ] in intervocalic position (20–30 ms) warrants calling it a tap, according to Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996).

There is no specific symbol for this sound. However, an IPA capital L with a breve for extra-short, [ʟ̆], would capture Ladefoged and Maddieson's description.

Features

• Its manner of articulation is tap or flap, which means it is produced with a single contraction of the muscles so that one articulator (usually the tongue) is thrown against another.
• Its place of articulation is velar, which means it is articulated with the back of the tongue (the dorsum) at the soft palate.
• 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.
• The 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

It is an allophone of the velar lateral approximant in some languages of New Guinea, such as Kanite and Melpa.

References

• Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-19815-6.