Linguaal

Linguaal is an adjective used in several languages, notably Dutch and German, derived from the Latin lingua meaning "tongue." It describes things related to the tongue or its involvement in articulation and is used across fields such as anatomy, dentistry and phonetics.

In dentistry, linguaal or lingual refers to surfaces of teeth that face the tongue. The opposite term is buccal, which describes surfaces facing the cheek. Linguaal surfaces are routinely described in dental charts and treatment planning to indicate how the tongue interacts with teeth during functions such as chewing and speech.

In phonetics and linguistics, linguaal denotes sounds produced with the tongue. Lingual sounds are categorized by the place of articulation, including dental (tongue against the teeth), alveolar (tongue against the alveolar ridge), postalveolar, retroflex, palatal, and sometimes velar (tongue against the soft palate). Some languages also feature linguolabial sounds, produced with the tongue against the upper lip. Additional distinctions such as apical (tip of the tongue) and laminal (blade of the tongue) describe how the tongue shapes the sound.

Usage varies by language: in English, the standard term is lingual, while linguaal is primarily found in Dutch and some other Germanic linguistic contexts. The term appears in technical literature across linguistics, phonetics, and dentistry to denote tongue-related aspects.

See also: lingual, lingua, lingualization.