Coronal consonant

Common card · No. 458903

Coronals are consonants articulated with the flexible front part of the tongue. Among places of articulation, only the coronal consonants can be divided into as many active articulation types: apical (using the tip of the tongue), laminal (using the blade of the tongue), or subapical (using the underside of the tongue); as well as different postalveolar articulations (some of which also involve the back of the tongue as an articulator): palato-alveolar, alveolo-palatal and retroflex. Only the front of the tongue (coronal) has such dexterity among the major places of articulation, allowing such variety of distinctions. Coronals have another dimension, tongue shape, to produce a variety among sibilants in combination with the orientations above.

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