Voiced labial-velar approximant

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IPA – number	170
IPA – text	w
IPA – image	Image:Xsampa-w2.png
Entity	w
X-SAMPA	`w`
Kirshenbaum	`w`
Sound sample (help·info)

The voiced labiovelar (actually labialized velar) approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used in certain spoken languages, including English. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is w, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is w.

[edit] Features

Features of the voiced labialized velar approximant:

Its manner of articulation is approximant, which means it is produced by bringing one articulator close to another but without the vocal tract being narrowed to such an extent that a turbulent airstream is produced.
Its place of articulation is labialized velar, which means it is articulated with the back part of the tongue (the dorsum) raised toward the soft palate (the velum) and the lips rounded. Some languages, such as Japanese and perhaps the Northern Iroquoian languages, have a sound typically transcribed as [w] where the lips are compressed (or at least not rounded), which is closer to a true labial-velar consonant. Close transcriptions may avoid the symbol [w] in such cases, or may use the under-rounding diacritic, [w̜].
Its phonation type is voiced, which means the vocal cords are vibrating during the articulation.
It is an oral consonant, which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth.
It is a central consonant, which means it is produced by allowing the airstream to flow over the middle of the tongue, rather than the sides.
The airstream mechanism is pulmonic egressive, which means it is articulated by pushing air out of the lungs and through the vocal tract, rather than from the glottis or the mouth.

[edit] Occurrence

Language	Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Abkhaz	ауаҩы	[awaˈɥə]	'human'	See Abkhaz phonology
Arabic	ﻭﺭﺩ	[wɛ̈rd]	'roses'	See Arabic phonology
Belarusian	example needed	--	--	represented by ў. See Belarusian phonology
English	weep	[wiːp]	'weep'	See English phonology
Finnish	vauva	[ˈʋɑuwɑ]	'baby'	See Finnish phonology
French	oui	[wi]	'yes'	See French phonology
Hawaiian	wikiwiki	[wikiwiki]	'fast'	May also be realized as [ʋ] or [v]. See Hawaiian phonology
Irish	vóta	[ˈwoːt̪ˠə]	'vote'	See Irish phonology
Mandarin	王/wáng	[wɑŋ˧˥]	'king'	See Standard Mandarin
Pashto	ﻭﺍﺭ	[wɑr]	'one time'
Polish	łaska	[ˈwaska] (help·info)	'grace'	See Polish phonology
Portuguese	água	[ˈagwɐ]	'water'	See Portuguese phonology
Seri	cmiique	[ˈkw̃ĩːkːɛ]	'person'
Spanish	cuanto	[ˈkwan̪t̪o̞]	'how much'	See Spanish phonology