The voiceless labial–palatal fricative or approximant is a type of
consonantal sound, used in a few spoken languages. The symbol in the
International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ɥ̊⟩[1] or ⟨ɸ͡ç⟩.[2] The former – more accurately the voiceless labialized palatal fricative by those who consider it to be a fricative[3] – is the voiceless counterpart of the
voiced labial–palatal approximant. Other linguists posit
voiceless approximants distinct from voiceless fricatives; to them, [ɥ̊] is a voiceless labialized palatal approximant.
Features
Its
manner of articulation is
fricative, which means it is produced by constricting air flow through a narrow channel at the place of articulation, causing
turbulence.
Its
phonation is voiceless, which means it is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords. In some languages the vocal cords are actively separated, so it is always voiceless; in others the cords are lax, so that it may take on the voicing of adjacent sounds.
It is an
oral consonant, which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth only.
It is a
central consonant, which means it is produced by directing the airstream along the center of the tongue, rather than to the sides.