labiodentaalisena

Labiodentaalisena is a term used in phonetics to describe an articulation or sound produced at the labiodental place of articulation, that is, with contact between the lower lip (labium) and the upper teeth (dental). In this context a consonant or phonetic segment is described as being labiodental when the lower lip interacts with the upper teeth during its production.

The most common labiodental sounds are the fricatives [f] and [v], representing the voiceless and voiced varieties, respectively. They are produced by directing a stream of air through a narrow gap between the lower lip and the upper teeth, creating friction that gives the characteristic hissing quality of these sounds. The labiodental place lies between the labial (lip-based) and dental (teeth-based) categories and is a well-established feature in many languages.

Beyond fricatives, other labiodental articulations occur in some languages, including the nasal [ɱ], produced with the lower lip against the upper teeth, and the approximant [ʋ], which represents a lighter, more open contact between the same articulators. Such sounds are less widespread but documented in various language inventories and phonological descriptions.

In linguistic analysis, labiodental articulation is contrasted with other places of articulation, such as bilabial, dental, alveolar, and others. The label labiodentaalisena is applied to segments or allophones whose primary place of articulation is labiodental, most commonly referring to the f and v system in many European and global languages.