Family of consonant sounds
A lateral flap is a family of consonantal sounds, used in some spoken languages.
There are four attested or claimed lateral flaps in the world's languages:
Features
Features of lateral flap:
- Its manner of articulation is tap or flap, which means it is produced with a single contraction of the muscles so that one articulator (usually the tongue) is thrown against another.
- It is a lateral consonant, which means it is produced by directing the airstream over the sides of the tongue, rather than down the middle.