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Retroflex for Dummies

adjective

pronunciation: 'rɛtrə,flɛks

What does Retroflex really mean?

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Retroflex means that the tongue curls or bends backwards towards the roof of the mouth during the production of a specific sound.

Let me explain it further. So, when we speak, our tongue plays a very important role in shaping the sounds we produce. It moves around, touches different parts of our mouth, and that's how we create different sounds. Now, when we say a sound is retroflex, it means that the tongue bends backward towards the roof of the mouth while making that particular sound. It's like when you are trying to touch the back of your mouth with the tip of your tongue.

For example, try saying the letter "R" right now. Notice how your tongue curls back a bit towards the roof of your mouth? That's retroflex! The sound of "R" that we make is called a retroflex sound because our tongue does that backward bending movement.

Now, it's not just the letter "R" that can be considered retroflex. There are other sounds in different languages that can also be retroflex. For instance, in some languages like Hindi or Mandarin Chinese, there are specific sounds where the tongue again curls or bends backward. It's like the tongue is doing a little acrobatic trick in our mouth!

So, to sum it up, when we say something is retroflex, it means the tongue is bending backward towards the roof of the mouth while making a particular sound, just like it does when we say the letter "R." It's a fun way our tongue moves to create unique sounds in different languages!


Revised and Fact checked by Brian Anderson on 2023-10-29 17:06:50

Retroflex In a sentece

Learn how to use Retroflex inside a sentece

  • When you say the sound 's' or 'z', your tongue can go up and touch the roof of your mouth. That's called a retroflex sound.
  • In some languages like Mandarin Chinese, the 'r' sound is made by curling the tip of the tongue backward. That's another example of a retroflex sound.
  • If you see a picture of a person sticking their tongue out and touching their upper teeth, they might be making a retroflex gesture.
  • When you pronounce the word 'doctor', the 'd' sound is made by touching the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth. That's also a retroflex sound.
  • If you try to imitate a cat meowing by saying 'meow', you'll notice your tongue curls up and touches the top of your mouth like a retroflex.

Retroflex Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

cacuminal cacuminal replicate replicate retroflexed retroflexed

Retroflex Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.

articulate articulate bend bend enounce enounce enunciate enunciate flex flex pronounce pronounce say say sound out sound out

Retroflex Similar Words

Words that similar to the original word, but are not synonyms.

backward backward backward backward

Retroflex Category

The domain category to which the original word belongs.

linguistics linguistics