Uvular /l/ (Was: velarized /l/ again)

[Neal Whitman]

Clarification: When they talk about "velar /l/" here, they mean velarIZED
(and I think most of them do write 'velarized' instead of 'velar', just as
in the title of the post). As at least one poster has pointed out, a
velarIZED /l/ is indeed alveolar: The tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge,
but even so, at the same time, the back of the tongue rises somewhat as
well. (Is it higher than it goes for the [i] sound, an issue you've brought
up? I don't know, but I do know it goes up. If you don't do it, your /l/s
sound a little off, like Jerry Reed calling the judge a "hillbilly" in "When
You're Hot, You're Hot, or like Snigdha Prakash when she says "dollars.")

However, when I talk about a uvular /l/, I do mean uvular. I know from
personal experience of making my /l/s this way as a kid that the tip of my
tongue stayed on the floor of my mouth, and the back of my tongue touched
the way back part of my soft palate (i.e. uvula). This sound really doesn't
have anything in common with /l/ at all from an articulatory perspective
(other than being a voiced continuant). The airstream is not escaping along
the sides of the tongue, as it does for alveolar /l/; it's coming out the
nose, as it does for [m, n, N]. The only reason I call it an /l/ is that
people who use it really do use it as their realization of /l/. All I can
guess is that acoustically it must bear a fair resemblance to alveolar /l/.
And to make it, I suggest starting to make the [N] ("ng") sound and really
stretch it out. While you're doing that, slowly slide your tongue backwards
so that the contact point is maybe 5mm further back, and then you'll
probably be making this sound. And if you want to hear what one sounds like,
listen to Ira Glass on any episode of This American Life; I'm almost
positive that's how he's making his /l/s.

Neal

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Zurinskas" <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2009 3:46 PM
Subject: Re: Uvular /l/ (Was: velarized /l/ again)


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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Uvular /l/ (Was: velarized /l/ again)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I can make that "l" fricative sound.  Just keep the tongue flat and pinch
> the cheeks in and get a fricative around the tongue and cheeks when making
> an "l".
>
> I Can't do a velar or uvular "l" if I try.  I would say "l" is not velar
> of uvular at all, alveolar.
>
> I think "l" works like "m".  where for "m" there is a vocal component
> while the lips are together then releases when the lips part to say a
> vowel.  Just so the "l" has a vocal (vowelish) component that releases
> when the tongue flaps down.
>
> Most salient "l" is Joe Namath's.  I think he does it with a wide rather
> than narrow tongue.
>
>
> Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL5+

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