View source for Alveolar consonant

{{redlinks|date=April 2012}}
An '''alveolar consonant''' is a [[consonant]] with the [[tongue]] close to the [[:en:Alveolar_ridge|alveolar ridge]], which is the part just behind our [[teeth]]. Alveolar consonants that are pronounced with the tip of the tongue, like in [[English language|English]], are called [[:en:Apical_consonant|apical consonants]] while those pronounced using the [[blade]] of the tongue which is the flat part of the tongue behind the tip, are called [[:en:Laminal_consonant|laminal consonants]]. Alveolar consonants in English are {{IPA|[n]}}, {{IPA|[t]}}, {{IPA|[d]}}, {{IPA|[s]}}, and {{IPA|[l]}}. The alveolar consonants {{IPA|[n]}}, the [[:en:Dental,_alveolar_and_postalveolar_nasals|alveolar nasal]], and {{IPA|[t]}}, the [[:en:Voiceless_alveolar_plosive|voiceless alveolar plosive]], are the most common sounds in human languages. 

== Alveolar consonants in IPA ==
The alveolar/coronal consonants identified by the IPA are:

{| class="IPA wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | IPA 
! rowspan="2" | Description 
! colspan="4" | Example 
|-
!| Language 
!| Orthography
!| IPA
!| Meaning in English
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-n.png]]
|| [[voiced alveolar nasal|alveolar nasal]]
|| [[English language|English]]
|| ru<span style="color:#700000">'''n'''</span>
|| [ɹʷʌ<span style="color:#700000">'''n'''</span>]
|| [[wiktionary:Run|run]]
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-t.png]]
|| [[voiceless alveolar plosive]] 
|| [[English language|English]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''t'''</span>ap
|| [<span style="color:#700000">'''t'''</span>ʰæp]
|| [[tap (valve)|tap]]
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-d.png]]
|| [[voiced alveolar plosive]]
|| [[English language|English]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''d'''</span>ebt
|| [<span style="color:#700000">'''d'''</span>ɛt]
|| [[debt]]
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-s.png]]
|| [[voiceless alveolar fricative]]
|| [[English language|English]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''s'''</span>uit
|| [<span style="color:#700000">'''s'''</span>juːt]
|| [[wiktionary:suit|suit]]
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-z.png]]
|| [[voiced alveolar fricative]]
|| [[English language|English]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''z'''</span>oo
|| [<span style="color:#700000">'''z'''</span>uː]
|| [[zoo]]
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-ts.png]]
|| [[voiceless alveolar affricate]]
|| [[German language|German]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''Z'''</span>eit
|| [<span style="color:#700000">'''t͡s'''</span>aɪt]
|| [[time]]
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-dz.png]]
|| [[voiced alveolar affricate]]
|| [[Italian language|Italian]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''z'''</span>aino
|| [ˈ<span style="color:#700000">'''d͡z'''</span>aino]
|| [[backpack]]
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-K2.png]]
|| [[voiceless alveolar lateral fricative]]
|| [[Welsh language|Welsh]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''Ll'''</span>wyd 
|| [<span style="color:#700000">'''ɬ'''</span>ʊɪd]
|| the name Lloyd or Floyd
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-Kslash.png]]
|| [[voiced alveolar lateral fricative]]
|| [[Zulu language|Zulu]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''dl'''</span>ala 
|| [ˈ<span style="color:#700000">'''ɮ'''</span>álà]
|| to play
|- style="height:4em"
!| t͡ɬ
|| [[voiceless alveolar lateral affricate]]
|| [[Tsez language|Tsez]]
|| э<span style="color:#700000">'''лI'''</span>ни
|| [ˈʔɛ̝<span style="color:#700000">'''t͡ɬ'''</span>ni]
|| winter
|- style="height:4em"
!| d͡ɮ
|| [[voiced alveolar lateral affricate]]
|| [[Oowekyala]]
||  
|| 
|| 
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-rslash2.png]]
|| [[voiced alveolar approximant|alveolar approximant]]
|| [[English language|English]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''r'''</span>ed
|| [<span style="color:#700000">'''ɹʷ'''</span>ɛd]
|| [[red]]
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-l.png]]
|| [[alveolar lateral approximant]]
|| [[English language|English]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''l'''</span>oop
|| [<span style="color:#700000">'''l'''</span>up]
|| [[wiktionary:loop|loop]]
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-4.png]]
|| [[voiced alveolar tap|alveolar tap or flap]]
|| [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
|| pe<span style="color:#700000">'''r'''</span>o
|| [pe<span style="color:#700000">'''ɾ'''</span>o]
|| [[:wiktionary|but]]
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-lslash.png]]
|| [[voiced alveolar lateral flap|alveolar lateral flap]]
|| [[Venda language|Venda]]
||
|| [vu<span style="color:#700000">'''ɺ'''</span>a]
|| to open
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-r.png]]
|| [[alveolar trill]]
|| [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
|| pe<span style="color:#700000">'''rr'''</span>o
|| [pe<span style="color:#700000">'''r'''</span>o]
|| [[dog]]
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:IPA alveolar ejective.png]]
|| [[alveolar ejective stop]]
|| [[Georgian language|Georgian]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''ტ'''</span>ი<span style="color:#700000">'''ტ'''</span>ა
|| [<span style="color:#700000">'''tʼ'''</span>i<span style="color:#700000">'''tʼ'''</span>a]
|| tulip
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:IPA alveolar ejective fricative.png]]
|| [[alveolar ejective fricative]]
|| [[Amharic language|Amharic]]
||
|| [<span style="color:#700000">'''sʼ'''</span>ɛɡa]
|| grace
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-d lessthan.png]]
|| [[voiced alveolar implosive]]
|| [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''đ'''</span>ã
|| [<span style="color:#700000">'''ɗ'''</span>ɐː]
|| [[Past tense]] indicator
|- style="height:4em"
!| [[Image:Xsampa-doublebarslash.png]]
|| [[alveolar lateral click]]
|| [[Khoekhoe language|Nama]]
|| <span style="color:#700000">'''{{Unicode|ǁ}}'''</span>î
|| [k<span style="color:#700000">'''ǁ'''</span>ĩĩ]
|| discussed
|}

{{IPA navigation}}

[[Category:Consonants]]