Retroflex
From KneeQuickie
Retroflex consonants are those articulated with the tongue curled backwards so the tip is above the main body. The retroflex point of articulation is thus equivalent to apical alveolo-palatal or even palatal.
Retroflex consonants commonly form a series alongside the main coronal series, but there are languages with just one or two retroflex consonants: an example is American English, in which the /r/ sound is a retroflex approximant.
In the IPA, retroflex consonants are written by modifying the normal coronal consonant symbol with a "retroflex hook"; the equivalent in X-Sampa is the retroflex diacritic `. The IPA has the following symbols for retroflex sounds:
| IPA | X-Sampa | |
| Unvoiced plosive | /ʈ/ | /t`/ |
| Voiced plosive | /ɖ/ | /d`/ |
| Unvoiced fricative | /ʂ/ | /s`/ |
| Voiced fricative | /ʐ/ | /z`/ |
| Voiced nasal stop | /ɳ/ | /n`/ |
| Voiced tap | /ɽ/ | /r`/ (NB: not /4`/) |
| Voiced approximant | /ɻ/ | /r\`/ |
| Voiced lateral approximant | /ɭ/ | /l`/ |
Z-Sampa offers the following additions:
- Voiced trill: /c\`/
- Unvoiced non-sibilant fricative: /T`/
- Voiced non-sibilant fricative: /D`/
- Nareal fricative: /n`_:/
