pal·a·tal (p l  -tl)adj. 1. Of or relating to the palate. 2. Linguistics a. Produced with the front of the tongue near or against the hard palate, as the (y) in English young. b. Produced with the blade of the tongue near the hard palate, as the (ch) in English chin. c. Produced with the front of the tongue in a forward position. Used of a vowel. n. Linguistics A palatal sound. pal a·tal·ly adv. |
palatal [ˈpælətəl]
adj
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) Also palatine of or relating to the palate
2. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) Phonetics of, relating to, or denoting a speech sound articulated with the blade of the tongue touching the hard palate
n
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) Also called palatine the bony plate that forms the palate
2. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) Phonetics a palatal speech sound, such as the semivowel (j)
palatally adv
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  palatal - a semivowel produced with the tongue near the palate (like the initial sound in the English word `yeast') |
| Adj. | 1. | palatal - relating to or lying near the palate; "palatal index"; "the palatine tonsils" |
| 2. | palatal - produced with the front of the tongue near or touching the hard palate (as `y') or with the blade of the tongue near the hard palate (as `ch' in `chin' or `j' in `gin') soft - (of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward the hard palate; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as `s' and `sh') |
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