Voiced palatal approximant

Some languages, however, have a palatal approximant that is unspecified for rounding and so cannot be considered the semivocalic equivalent of either {{IPA|[i]}} or its rounded counterpart, {{IPAblink|y}}, which would normally correspond to {{IPAblink|ɥ}}. An example is Spanish, which distinguishes two palatal approximants: an approximant semivowel {{IPA|[j]}}, which is always unrounded (and is a phonological vowel - an allophone of {{IPA|/i/}}), and an approximant consonant unspecified for rounding, {{IPA|[ʝ̞]}} (which is a phonological consonant). Eugenio Martínez Celdrán describes the difference between them as follows (with audio examples added):{{sfnp|Martínez Celdrán|2004|p=208}}

{{blockquote|{{IPA|[j]}} is shorter and is usually a merely transitory sound. It can only exist together with a full vowel and does not appear in syllable onset. [On the other hand,] {{IPA|[ʝ̞]}} has a lower amplitude, mainly in F2. It can only appear in syllable onset. It is not noisy either articulatorily or perceptually. {{IPA|[ʝ̞]}} can vary towards {{IPAblink|ʝ}} in emphatic pronunciations, having noise (turbulent airstream). (...)

There is a further argument through which we can establish a clear difference between {{IPA|[j]}} and {{IPA|[ʝ̞]}}: the first sound cannot be rounded, not even through co-articulation, whereas the second one is rounded before back vowels or the back semi-vowel. Thus, in words like viuda {{Audio-IPA|Es-viuda.ogg|[ˈbjuða]|help=no}} 'widow', Dios {{Audio-IPA|Es-Dios.ogg|[ˈdjos]|help=no}} 'God', vio {{Audio-IPA|Es-vio.ogg|[ˈbjo]|help=no}} 's/he saw', etc., the semi-vowel {{IPA|[j]}} is unrounded; if it were rounded, a sound that does not exist in Spanish, {{IPAblink|ɥ}}, would appear. On the other hand, {{IPA|[ʝ̞]}} is unspecified as far as rounding is concerned and it is assimilated to the labial vowel context: rounded with rounded vowels, e.g. ayuda {{Audio-IPA|Es-ayuda.ogg|[aˈʝ̞ʷuð̞a]|help=no}} 'help', coyote {{Audio-IPA|Es-coyote.ogg|[koˈʝ̞ʷote]|help=no}} 'coyote', hoyuelo {{Audio-IPA|Es-hoyuelo.ogg|[oˈʝ̞ʷwelo]|help=no}} 'dimple', etc., and unrounded with unrounded vowels: payaso {{Audio-IPA|Es-payaso.ogg|[paˈʝ̞aso]|help=no}} 'clown', ayer {{Audio-IPA|Es-ayer.ogg|[aˈʝ̞eɾ]|help=no}} 'yesterday'.|author=|title=|source=}}

He also considers that "the IPA shows a lack of precision in the treatment it gives to approximants, if we take into account our understanding of the phonetics of Spanish. {{IPA|[ʝ̞]}} and {{IPA|[j]}} are two different segments, but they have to be labelled as voiced palatal approximant consonants. I think that the former is a real consonant, whereas the latter is a semi-consonant, as it has traditionally been called in Spanish, or a semi-vowel, if preferred. The IPA, though, classifies it as a consonant."{{sfnp|Martínez Celdrán|2004|p=206}}

There is a parallel problem with transcribing the voiced velar approximant.

The symbol {{angbr IPA|ʝ̞}} may not display properly in all browsers. In that case, {{angbr IPA|ʝ˕}} should be substituted.

In the writing systems used for most languages in Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe, the letter j denotes the palatal approximant, as in German {{Langx|de|Jahr|label=none}} 'year', which is followed by IPA. Although it may be seen as counterintuitive for English-speakers, there are a few words with that orthographical spelling in certain loanwords in English like Hebrew "hallelujah" and German "Jägermeister".

In grammars of Ancient Greek, the palatal approximant, which was lost early in the history of Greek, is sometimes written as {{angbr|ι̯}}, an iota with the inverted breve below, which is the nonsyllabic diacritic or marker of a semivowel.{{sfnp|Smyth|1920|p=11}}

There is also the post-palatal approximantInstead of "post-palatal", it can be called "retracted palatal", "backed palatal", "palato-velar", "pre-velar", "advanced velar", "fronted velar" or "front-velar". For simplicity, this article uses only the term "post-palatal". in some languages, which is articulated slightly more back than the place of articulation of the prototypical palatal approximant but less far back than the prototypical velar approximant. It can be considered the semivocalic equivalent of the close central unrounded vowel {{IPA|[ɨ]}}The International Phonetic Alphabet does not have a separate symbol for that sound, but it can be transcribed as {{angbr IPA|j̠}}, {{angbr IPA|j˗}} (both symbols denote a retracted {{angbr IPA|j}}), {{angbr IPA|ɰ̟}} or {{angbr IPA|ɰ˖}} (both symbols denote an advanced {{angbr IPA|ɰ}}). The equivalent X-SAMPA symbols are j_- and M\_+, respectively. Other possible transcriptions include a centralized {{angbr IPA|j}} ({{angbr IPA|j̈}} in the IPA, j_" in X-SAMPA), a centralized {{angbr IPA|ɰ}} ({{angbr IPA|ɰ̈}} in the IPA, M\_" in X-SAMPA) and a non-syllabic {{angbr IPA|ɨ}} ({{angbr IPA|ɨ̯}} in the IPA, 1_^ in X-SAMPA).

For the reasons mentioned above and in the article velar approximant, none of those symbols are appropriate for languages such as Spanish, whose post-palatal approximant consonant (not a semivowel) appears as an allophone of {{IPA|/ɡ/}} before front vowels and is best transcribed {{angbr IPA|ʝ̞˗}}, {{angbr IPA|ʝ˕˗}} (both symbols denote a lowered and retracted {{angbr IPA|ʝ}}), {{angbr IPA|ɣ̞˖}} or {{angbr IPA|ɣ˕˖}} (both symbols denote a lowered and advanced {{angbr IPA|ɣ}}). The equivalent X-SAMPA symbols are j\_o_- and G_o_+.

Especially in broad transcription, the post-palatal approximant may be transcribed as a palatalized velar approximant ({{angbr IPA|ɰʲ}}, {{angbr IPA|ɣ̞ʲ}} or {{angbr IPA|ɣ˕ʲ}} in the IPA, M\', M\_j, G'_o or G_o_j in X-SAMPA).

A voiced alveolar-palatal approximant is attested as phonemic in the Huastec language.

Features of the voiced palatal approximant:

{{approximant}} The most common type of this approximant is glide or semivowel. The term glide emphasizes the characteristic of movement (or 'glide') of {{IPA|[j]}} from the {{IPAblink|i}} vowel position to a following vowel position. The term semivowel emphasizes that, although the sound is vocalic in nature, it is not 'syllabic' (it does not form the nucleus of a syllable). For a description of the approximant consonant variant used e.g. in Spanish, see above.

{{palatal}} The otherwise identical post-palatal variant is articulated slightly behind the hard palate, making it sound slightly closer to the velar {{IPAblink|ɰ}}.

{{voiced}}

{{oral}}

{{central articulation}}

{{pulmonic}}

{{Infobox IPA

|above=Voiced post-palatal approximant

|ipa symbol=j˗

|ipa symbol2=ɰ˖

|ipa symbol3=ȷ̈

|x-sampa=j-

}}

• Palatal lateral approximant
• Nasal palatal approximant
• Index of phonetics articles

{{Reflist|30em}}

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{{Refend}}

• {{phoible|j}}
• {{phoible|j̟}}

{{IPA navigation}}

Category:Palatal consonants

Category:Oral consonants

Category:Central consonants

Category:Pulmonic consonants