lateral (adj./n.)

A term used in the PHONETIC classification of CONSONANT sounds on the basis of their MANNER OF ARTICULATION: it refers to any sound where the air escapes around one or both sides of a CLOSURE made in the mouth, as in the various types of l sound. Air released around only one side of the TONGUE produces unilateral sounds; around both sides bilateral sounds. Lateral sounds may be VOICED, as in lady, pool, or VOICELESS, as in play, where the [l] has been devoiced due to the influence of the preceding voiceless consonant: . An independent voiceless l sound occurs with Welsh ll, as in Llandudno, but here there is much accompanying friction, and the sound is best described as a ‘lateral FRICATIVE’ . /t/ and /d/ followed by /l/ in English are often released laterally, the phenomenon of ‘lateral PLOSION’: the air escapes round the sides of the tongue, the closure between tongue and ALVEOLAR ridge remaining, as in bottle, cuddle. It is possible to say the final SYLLABLE of such words without moving the front of the tongue from its contact at all.

In some DISTINCTIVE FEATURE approaches to PHONOLOGY, the term ‘lateral’ is specifically opposed to non-lateral (i.e. sounds which do not have a lateral release, as described above), these being postulated as two of the contrasts needed in order to specify fully the sound system of a language. In Chomsky and Halle’s theory, for example, ‘lateral’ is classified as a CAVITY feature, along with NASAL, under the specific heading of SECONDARY APERTURES.