interdentaalinen

Interdentaalinen is a linguistic term used to describe a place of articulation in which the tongue blade or tip is positioned between the upper and lower teeth. In English and many analyses, the primary interdental sounds are the voiceless fricative represented by theta, /θ/, as in think, and the voiced fricative represented by eth, /ð/, as in this. These sounds are produced with the airflow directed between the teeth, often with the tongue touching or close to the teeth.

The articulation is often described as between dental and alveolar, and some researchers distinguish true interdental articulation from dental articulation where the tongue contacts the teeth without a distinct interstitial position. Production can vary among speakers and languages, with some favoring a slightly dental or alveolar realization. The interdental place of articulation is relatively rare cross-linguistically compared with other fricatives; several languages lack distinct interdental sounds and substitute with labiodental, dental, or alveolar consonants.

Orthography historically associates interdental sounds with the letters thorn (Þ, þ) and eth (Ð, ð) from Old Norse and Old English, but modern descriptions emphasize articulation rather than specific letters. In many languages with interdental phonemes, these sounds contrast with other sibilants or with zero in phonemic inventories, contributing to distinctions in accuracy of pronunciation and intelligibility.

In summary, interdentaalinen refers to sounds produced with the tongue between the teeth, most notably the /θ/ and /ð/ sounds, and it highlights a specific and sometimes cross-linguistically variable aspect of consonant articulation.