retroflex

English

WOTD – 5 April 2008

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin rētrōflexus, the perfect participle of rētrōflectō (“bend, turn”), from flectō (“bend, turn”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt.ɹəʊ.flɛks/, /ˈɹɛt.ɹə.flɛks/
• 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)
• Finnish: taaksepäin taipunut
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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 (anástrofo)
• Irish: aislúbtha
• Manx: cooyl-chroymmit
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: retrofleks (no)

• Polish: z retrofleksją, retrofleksyjny
• Portuguese: retroflexo
• 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

any of the retroflex consonants

• Chinese:

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

• Dutch: retroflex (nl)
• Finnish: retrofleksi (fi)
• German: Retroflex m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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