labiodentaalifrikiatiivi

Labiodentaalifrikiatiivi is a linguistic term used to describe the class of labiodental fricative consonants. These sounds are articulated with the lower lip against the upper teeth, creating a narrow constriction through which air passes to produce audible friction. The basic phonemes typically associated with this class are the voiceless labiodental fricative [f] and the voiced labiodental fricative [v]. In some descriptions, broader inventories may discuss additional variants or allophonic realizations that emerge in particular phonological environments, but the standard distinction centers on [f] and [v].

In phonology, labiodental fricatives contrast with other manners of articulation and with other labial sounds, such as bilabial and dental consonants. They are common across a wide range of languages and often function as basic, contrastive phonemes in word-initial, medial, and sometimes word-final positions. Their presence influences adjacent vowel quality and can interact with assimilation processes, such as rounding or palatalization, in certain phonological systems.

Orthography commonly represents these sounds with the letters f and v in many languages using the Latin script. Some languages use additional diacritics or digraphs to indicate allophony or voicing contrasts, while others may employ entirely different orthographic representations.

Variation across languages shows that the precise articulation and phonotactic behavior of labiodental fricatives can differ, but the core feature remains the contact between the lower lip and upper teeth to produce frication. See also fricatives, labiodental consonants, and voicing.