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Retroflex click

The retroflex clicks are a family of click consonants known only from the Central ǃKung language or dialect of Namibia. They are sub-apical retroflex and should not be confused with the more widespread postalveolar clicks, which have also been called "retroflex" due to their concave tongue shape and sometimes apical-retroflex articulation.

Retroflex click consonants and their transcription
Basic retroflex clicks in three common transcription conventions are: ==Features==
Features
Features of retroflex clicks: • The place of articulation is postalveolar and subapical, meaning the tip of the tongue is curled up to contact the roof of the mouth in the area behind the alveolar ridge (the gum line). The center of the tongue moves downward to create suction. ==Occurrence==
Occurrence
As with other click articulations, retroflex clicks may be produced with various manners. An example is the voiced retroflex click in the Grootfontein ǃKung (Central Juu) word for 'water', (g‼ú). Damin is the only other language known to have had such a sound, though only the nasal click occurred. It occurred as both a single and a doubled consonant, which was articulated twice. It was apico-domal, and no comparison was ever done with the Central Juu articulation. A retroflex series claimed for Ekoka ǃKung turns out to be domed palatal clicks. ==See also==
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