postalveolární

Postalveolar, or postalveolární, refers to a class of consonants articulated with the tongue blade or tip behind the alveolar ridge, in the region between the alveolar ridge and the hard palate. In this area the tongue contacts or approaches the area just behind the alveolar ridge, producing sounds that are not produced at the alveolar place itself. The articulation is often laminal, using the blade of the tongue rather than the tip.

The most common postalveolar consonants are fricatives and affricates. The English phonemes /ʃ/ (as in ship), /ʒ/ (as in measure), /t͡ʃ/ (as in church), and /d͡ʒ/ (as in judge) are typically described as postalveolar or palato-alveolar. Some languages also have postalveolar nasals or approximants, though these are less common and occur in smaller inventories.

The terminology around postalveolar sounds varies. Some linguists distinguish palato-alveolar (also called alveolo-palatal) as a more fronted subtype within the postalveolar group; others treat postalveolar as a broader umbrella that includes palato-alveolar sounds. In practice, the terms are often used interchangeably in descriptions of many languages.

Postalveolar sounds are widespread and phonemically important in many language systems. They contribute to distinct sibilants and affricates that help differentiate words, contributing to the overall phonetic diversity of human languages.