retroflex

See also: Retroflex

English

WOTD – 5 April 2008

Etymology

From Latin rētrōflexus, the perfect participle of rētrōflectō (“bend, turn”), from flectō (“bend, turn”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt.ɹəʊ.flɛks/, /ˈɹɛt.ɹə.flɛks/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt.ɹoʊ.flɛks/, /ˈɹɛt.ɹə.flɛks/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

Adjective

retroflex (comparative more retroflex, superlative most retroflex)

1. Bent or curved backwards.
2. (phonetics) Of pronunciation in which the tip of the tongue is raised and bent backwards, so that the underside of the tongue approaches or touches the palate.
3. (phonetics) Of pronunciation in which the tip of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
4. (phonetics) Of pronunciation in which the blade of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
5. (phonetics, general sense) Of any of the aforementioned pronunciations.

Synonyms

• (bent backwards): reflexed
• (of pronunciation with the tongue underside): subapical palatal
• (of pronunciation with the tongue tip): apical postalveolar
• (of pronunciation with the tongue blade): laminal postalveolar, flat postalveolar

Related terms

• retroflexed
• retroflexion

Translations

bent backwards

• Arabic: مُرْتَدّ‎ (murtadd)
• Bulgarian: извит назад (izvit nazad)
• Finnish: taaksepäin taipunut
• Manx: cooyl-chroymmit
• Portuguese: retroflexo

of pronunciation in which the tongue underside approaches/touches the palate

• German: subapiko-palatal
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sub-apikal prepalatal, sub-apikal palatal

• Polish: subapikalno-prepalatalny, subapikalny prepalatalny, subapikalno-palatalny, subapikalny palatalny

of pronunciation in which the tongue tip approaches/touches the back of the alveolar ridge

• German: apiko-postalveolar
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: apikal postalveolar

• Polish: apikalny zadziąsłowy, apikalny postalweolarny, apikalno-postalweolarny

of pronunciation in which the tongue blade approaches/touches the back of the alveolar ridge

• German: lamino-postalveolar
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: laminal postalveolar

• Polish: laminalny zadziąsłowy, laminalny postalweolarny, lamino-postalweolarny

of any of the retroflex pronunciations

• Dutch: retroflex (nl)
• Finnish: retrofleksinen (fi)
• French: rétroflexe (fr)
• German: retroflex
• Greek: ανάστροφο (el) (anástrofo)
• Irish: aislúbtha
• Manx: cooyl-chroymmit
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: retrofleks (no)

• Polish: z retrofleksją, retrofleksyjny
• Portuguese: retroflexo
• Punjabi: ਟਵਰਗ m (ṭavrag), ٹَوَرْگ‎ m (ṭavarg)
• Russian: ретрофле́ксный (ru) (retrofléksnyj)
• Swedish: retroflex (sv)
• Welsh: olblyg

Noun

retroflex (plural retroflexes)

1. (phonetics) A consonant pronounced with the underside of the tongue approaching or touching the palate.
2. (phonetics) A consonant pronounced with the tip of the tongue approaching or touching the back of the alveolar ridge.
3. (phonetics) A consonant pronounced with the blade of the tongue approaching or touching the back of the alveolar ridge.
4. (phonetics, general sense) Any of the aforementioned consonants.

Translations

consonant pronounced with the tongue underside approaching/touching the palate

• Polish: spółgłoska subapikalno-prepalatalna f, spółgłoska subapikalna prepalatalna f, spółgłoska subapikalno-palatalna f, spółgłoska subapikalna palatalna f

consonant pronounced with the tongue tip approaching/touching the back of the alveolar ridge

• Polish: spółgłoska apikalna zadziąsłowa f, spółgłoska apikalna postalweolarna f, spółgłoska apikalno-postalweolarna f

consonant pronounced with the tongue blade approaching/touching the back of the alveolar ridge

• Polish: spółgłoska laminalna zadziąsłowa f, spółgłoska laminalna postalweolarna f, spółgłoska lamino-postalweolarna f

any of the retroflex consonants

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 卷舌音 (zh) (juǎnshéyīn), 翹舌音／翘舌音 (zh) (qiàoshéyīn), 舌尖後音／舌尖后音 (zh) (shéjiānhòuyīn)

• Dutch: retroflex (nl)
• Finnish: retrofleksi (fi)
• German: Retroflex m
• Japanese: そり舌音 (そりじたおん, sorijitaon), 反り舌音 (そりじたおん, sorijitaon)
• Polish: spółgłoska z retrofleksją f, spółgłoska retrofleksyjna f
• Portuguese: retroflexa f
• Russian: ретрофле́ксный согла́сный m (retrofléksnyj soglásnyj)

See also

• Retroflex consonant on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

German

Adjective

retroflex (strong nominative masculine singular retroflexer, not comparable)

1. (phonetics) retroflex

Declension

Positive forms of retroflex (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist retroflex	sie ist retroflex	es ist retroflex	sie sind retroflex
strong declension (without article)	nominative	retroflexer	retroflexe	retroflexes	retroflexe
	genitive	retroflexen	retroflexer	retroflexen	retroflexer
	dative	retroflexem	retroflexer	retroflexem	retroflexen
	accusative	retroflexen	retroflexe	retroflexes	retroflexe
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der retroflexe	die retroflexe	das retroflexe	die retroflexen
	genitive	des retroflexen	der retroflexen	des retroflexen	der retroflexen
	dative	dem retroflexen	der retroflexen	dem retroflexen	den retroflexen
	accusative	den retroflexen	die retroflexe	das retroflexe	die retroflexen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein retroflexer	eine retroflexe	ein retroflexes	(keine) retroflexen
	genitive	eines retroflexen	einer retroflexen	eines retroflexen	(keiner) retroflexen
	dative	einem retroflexen	einer retroflexen	einem retroflexen	(keinen) retroflexen
	accusative	einen retroflexen	eine retroflexe	ein retroflexes	(keine) retroflexen

Related terms

• Retroflex (“retroflex consonant”)

Further reading

• “retroflex” in Duden online
• “retroflex” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache