"palatal" 的定义和意义

What is "palatal"?

Palatal refers to sounds produced when the body of the tongue raises to the hard palate, which is the back of the roof of the mouth. These sounds are typically characterized by a specific place of articulation and often include certain consonants and vowels. In English, examples of palatal sounds include the "y" sound in "yes" and the "sh" sound in "she." Palatal sounds are important in phonetics and phonology because they contribute to the distinctiveness of sounds in different languages and affect how words are pronounced.