View source for Semivowel

{{Short description|Transitional phoneme produced like a vowel but used like a syllable boundary}}
{{IPA notice}}

In [[phonetics]] and [[phonology]], a '''semivowel''', '''glide''' or '''semiconsonant''' is a sound that is phonetically similar to a [[vowel]] sound but functions as the [[syllable]] boundary, rather than as the [[syllable nucleus|nucleus]] of a syllable.{{sfnp|Ladefoged|Maddieson|1996|p=322}} Examples of semivowels in English are ''y'' and ''w'' in ''yes'' and ''west'', respectively. Written {{IPAc-en|j|_|w}} in [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]], ''y'' and ''w'' are near to the vowels ''ee'' and ''oo'' in ''seen'' and ''moon,'' written {{IPAc-en|i:|_|u:}} in IPA. The term ''glide'' may alternatively refer to any type of transitional sound, not necessarily a semivowel.{{sfnp|Crystal|2008|p=211}}

==Classification==
Semivowels form a subclass of [[Approximant consonant|approximants]].{{sfnp|Crystal|2008|pp=431–2}}{{sfnp|Martínez Celdrán|2004|p=9}} Although "semivowel" and "approximant" are sometimes treated as synonymous,{{sfnp|Meyer|2005|p=101}} most authors use the term "semivowel" for a more restricted set; there is no universally agreed-upon definition, and the exact details may vary from author to author. For example, {{Harvcoltxt|Ladefoged|Maddieson|1996}} do not consider the [[labiodental approximant]] {{IPA|[ʋ]}} to be a semivowel.{{sfnp|Ladefoged|Maddieson|1996|p=323}}

In the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]], the diacritic attached to non-syllabic vowel letters is an [[inverted breve]] placed below the symbol representing the vowel: {{unichar|032F|COMBINING INVERTED BREVE BELOW|ulink=Phonetic symbols in Unicode|cwith=◌}}. When there is no room for the inverted breve under a symbol, it may be written above, using {{unichar|0311|COMBINING INVERTED BREVE|ulink=Phonetic symbols in Unicode|cwith=◌}}. Before 1989, non-syllabicity was represented by {{unichar|0306|COMBINING BREVE|ulink=Phonetic symbols in Unicode|cwith=◌}}, which now stands for [[extra-shortness]].

Additionally, there are dedicated symbols for four semivowels that correspond to the four close [[cardinal vowel]] sounds:{{sfnp|Martínez Celdrán|2004|p=9}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Semivowel (non-syllabic)
! Vowel (syllabic)
|-
| {{IPAblink|j}} (palatal approximant)
| {{IPAblink|i}} (close front unrounded vowel)
|-
| {{IPAblink|ɥ}} (labio-palatal approximant)
| {{IPAblink|y}} (close front rounded vowel)
|-
| {{IPAblink|ɰ}} (velar approximant)
| {{IPAblink|ɯ}} (close back unrounded vowel)
|-
| {{IPAblink|w}} (labiovelar approximant)
| {{IPAblink|u}} (close back rounded vowel)
|}

Some authors argue for the recognition of additional semivowels:
* The [[rhotic consonant|rhotic]] approximants {{IPAalink|ɹ}} and {{IPAalink|ɻ}}, considered to be semivowels corresponding to [[r-colored vowel]]s such as {{angbr IPA|ɚ}} or {{angbr IPA|ɝ}}.{{sfnp|Ladefoged|Maddieson|1996|p=323}}{{sfnp|Martínez Celdrán|2004|p=8}}
* The pharyngeal approximant {{IPAalink|ʕ̞}}, considered to be the semivowel corresponding to the open back vowel {{IPAalink|ɑ}},{{sfnp|Esling|2010|p=695}} which is noted to have distinct pharyngeal features in its articulation.{{sfnp|Esling|2005|p=40}}
* The post-palatal approximants,<ref name="post-palatal">Instead 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".</ref> or central semivowels, which may be written as {{angbr|{{IPAlink|j˗}} {{IPAlink|ɥ˗}} {{IPAlink|ɥ̫̈|w̟}}}} (diacritics for [[Relative articulation#Advanced and retracted|advancing and retracting]]), {{angbr IPA|ȷ̈ ɥ̈ ẅ}} (diacritics for [[Relative articulation#Centralized|centralization]]), or the para-IPA symbols {{angbr IPA|ɉ <s>ɥ</s> <s>w</s>}},<ref>[https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2024/24049-ipa-support-letter.pdf L2/24-049: Unicode support for historical and para-IPA letters]</ref> considered to be corresponding to the unrounded {{IPAalink|ɨ}}, [[Roundedness#Typology|compressed]] {{IPAalink|ÿ}}, and protruded {{IPAalink|ʉ}} close central vowels, respectively.

==Contrast with vowels==
Semivowels, by definition, contrast with vowels by being non-syllabic. In addition, they are usually shorter than vowels.{{sfnp|Crystal|2008|pp=431–2}} In languages such as [[Amharic language|Amharic]], [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]], and [[Zuni language|Zuni]], semivowels are produced with a narrower constriction in the vocal tract than their corresponding vowels.{{sfnp|Ladefoged|Maddieson|1996|p=323}} Nevertheless, semivowels may be phonemically equivalent with vowels. For example, the English word ''fly'' can be considered either as an [[open syllable]] ending in a [[diphthong]] {{IPA|[flai̯]}} or as a [[closed syllable]] ending in a consonant {{IPA|[flaj]}}.{{sfnp|Cohen|1971|p=51}}

It is unusual for a language to contrast a semivowel and a diphthong containing an equivalent vowel,{{citation needed|date=January 2010}} but [[Romanian language|Romanian]] contrasts the diphthong {{IPA|/e̯a/}} with {{IPA|/ja/}}, a perceptually similar approximant-vowel sequence. The diphthong is analyzed as a single segment, and the approximant-vowel sequence is analyzed as two separate segments.

In addition to phonological justifications for the distinction (such as the diphthong alternating with {{IPA|/e/}} in singular-plural pairs), there are phonetic differences between the pair:{{sfnp|Chitoran|2002|pp=212–214}}
*{{IPA|/ja/}} has a greater duration than {{IPA|/e̯a/}}
*The transition between the two elements is longer and faster for {{IPA|/ja/}} than {{IPA|/e̯a/}} with the former having a higher F2 onset (greater constriction of the articulators).

Although a phonological parallel exists between {{IPA|/o̯a/}} and {{IPA|/wa/}}, the production and perception of phonetic contrasts between the two is much weaker, likely because of lower lexical load for {{IPA|/wa/}}, which is limited largely to loanwords from [[French language|French]], and speakers' difficulty in maintaining contrasts between two back rounded semivowels in comparison to front ones.{{sfnp|Chitoran|2002|p=221}}

==Contrast with fricatives/spirant approximants==
According to the standard definitions, semivowels (such as {{IPAblink|j}}) contrast with [[fricative]]s (such as {{IPAblink|ʝ}}) in that fricatives produce turbulence, but semivowels do not. In discussing [[Spanish language|Spanish]], Martínez Celdrán suggests setting up a third category of "spirant approximant", contrasting both with semivowel approximants and with fricatives.{{sfnp|Martínez Celdrán|2004|p=6}} Though the spirant approximant is more constricted (having a lower [[formant|F2]] amplitude), longer, and unspecified for rounding ({{lang|es|viuda}} {{IPA|es|ˈb'''ju'''ða|}} {{gloss|widow}} vs. {{lang|es|ayuda}} {{IPA|es|aˈ'''ʝʷu'''ða|}} {{gloss|help}}),{{sfnp|Martínez Celdrán|2004|p=208}} the distributional overlap is limited. The spirant approximant can only appear in the syllable onset (including word-initially, where the semivowel never appears). The two overlap in distribution after {{IPA|/l/}} and {{IPA|/n/}}: {{lang|es|enyesar}} {{IPA|es|ẽɲ'''ɟʝ'''eˈsaɾ|}} ({{gloss|to plaster}}) vs. {{lang|es|aniego}} {{IPA|es|ãˈn'''j'''eɣo|}} {{gloss|flood}},{{sfnp|Trager|1942|p=222}} and although there is dialectal and idiolectal variation, speakers may also exhibit other near-minimal pairs like {{lang|es|ab'''ye'''cto}} {{IPA|es|aβ̞ˈʝe̞tːo̞|}} {{gloss|abject}} vs. {{lang|es|ab'''ie'''rto|}} {{IPA|es|aβ̞ˈje̞tːo̞|}} {{gloss|opened}}.{{sfnp|Saporta|1956|p=288}} One potential minimal pair (depending on dialect) is {{lang|es|ya visto}} {{IPA|es|'''(ɟ)ʝa'''ˈβisto|}} {{gloss|already seen}} vs. {{lang|es|y ha visto}} {{IPA|es|'''ja'''ˈβisto||}} {{gloss|and he has seen}}.{{sfnp|Bowen|Stockwell|1955|p=236}}

Again, it is not present in all dialects. Other dialects differ in either merging the two or enhancing the contrast by moving the former to another [[place of articulation]] ({{IPA|[ʒ]}}), like in [[Rioplatense Spanish]].

==See also==
* [[Diphthong]]
* [[Hiatus (linguistics)]]
* [[List of phonetics topics]]
* [[Mater lectionis]]
* [[Syllabic consonant]]
* [[Voiced labio-velar approximant]]

==References==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{Citation
|last1=Bowen
|first1=J. Donald
|last2=Stockwell
|first2=Robert P.
|year=1955
|title=The Phonemic Interpretation of Semivowels in Spanish
|journal=Language
|volume=31
|issue=2
|pages=236–240
|doi=10.2307/411039
|jstor=411039
}}
* {{Citation
|last=Chitoran
|first=Ioana
|year=2002
|title=A perception-production study of Romanian diphthongs and glide-vowel sequences
|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association
|volume=32
|issue=2
|pages=203–222
|doi=10.1017/S0025100302001044
|url=http://www.clillac-arp.univ-paris-diderot.fr/_media/user/ioana_chitoran/pdf/chitoran_jipa02.pdf
|citeseerx=10.1.1.116.1413
|s2cid=10104718
}} {{open access}}
* {{Citation
|last=Crystal
|first=David
|year=2008
|title=A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics
|edition=6th
|publisher=Blackwell
|isbn=978-1-4051-5297-6
}}
* {{Citation
|last=[[:nl:Antonie Cohen|Cohen]]
|first=Antonie
|title=The phonemes of English: a phonemic study of the vowels and consonants of standard English
|edition=third
|publisher=Springer
|year=1971
|isbn=978-90-247-0639-6
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0x-9bpGEPbAC
}}
* {{SOWL}}
* {{Citation
|last=Martínez Celdrán
|first=Eugenio
|year=2004
|title=Problems in the Classification of Approximants
|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association
|volume=34
|issue=2
|pages=201–210
|doi=10.1017/S0025100304001732
|s2cid=144568679
|url=http://www.ub.edu/labfon/Approximants-2.pdf
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711150125/http://www.ub.edu/labfon/Approximants-2.pdf
|archive-date=2010-07-11
|access-date=2015-02-14
}}
* {{Citation
|last=Esling
|first=John H.
|author-link=John Esling
|year=2010
|chapter=Phonetic Notation
|editor1-last=Hardcastle
|editor1-first=William J.
|editor2-last=Laver
|editor2-first=John
|editor3-last=Gibbon
|editor3-first=Fiona E.
|title=The Handbook of Phonetic Sciences
|edition=2nd
|pages=678–702
|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell
|doi=10.1002/9781444317251.ch18
|isbn=978-1-4051-4590-9
}}
* {{Citation
|last=Esling
|first=John H.
|year=2005
|title=There Are No Back Vowels: The Larygeal Articulator Model
|journal=[[Canadian Journal of Linguistics]]
|volume=50
|issue=1–4
|pages=13–44
|doi=10.1017/S0008413100003650
}}
* {{Citation
|last=Meyer
|first=Paul Georg
|title=Synchronic English Linguistics: An Introduction
|edition=third
|location=Tübingen
|publisher=Gunter Narr Verlag
|year=2005
|isbn=978-3-8233-6191-6
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=I2hXL8WClNUC
}}
* {{Citation
|last=Saporta
|first=Sol
|year=1956
|title=A Note on Spanish Semivowels
|journal=Language
|volume=32
|issue=2
|pages=287–290
|doi=10.2307/411006
|jstor=411006
}}
* {{Citation
|last=Trager
|first=George
|year=1942
|title=The Phonemic Treatment of Semivowels
|journal=Language
|volume=18
|issue=3
|pages=220–223
|doi=10.2307/409556
|jstor=409556
}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Citation
|last1=Ohala
|first1=John
|last2=Lorentz
|first2=James
|editor1-last=Whistler
|editor1-first=Kenneth
|editor2-last=Chiarelloet
|editor2-first=Chris
|editor3-last=van Vahn
|editor3-first=Robert Jr.
|chapter=The story of [w]: An exercise in the phonetic explanation for sound patterns
|title=Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society
|place=Berkeley
|publisher=Berkeley Linguistic Society
|pages=577–599
}}
{{Refend}}
{{Articulation navbox}}
[[Category:Manner of articulation]]
[[Category:Vowels]]
[[Category:Approximant consonants]]

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