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Palatal consonant

Palatals are consonants articulated with the middle or back part of the tongue raised against the hard palate (the middle part of the roof of the mouth). English [j] (spelt y) is a palatal approximant, and German [ç] (spelt ch after front vowels, as in nicht) is a palatal fricative. Consonants with other primary articulations may be palatalised, that is, accompanied by the raising of the tongue surface towards the hard palate. For example, English [S] (spelt sh) has such a palatal component, although its primary articulation involves the tip of the tongue and the upper gum (this type of articulation is called palatoalveolar[?]).


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