Dentalized

/ˈdɛntəlaɪzd/ adjective

Definition

Describing a speech sound that has been changed to be pronounced with the tongue near or touching the teeth.

Etymology

Past tense and past participle of 'dentalize,' formed by adding '-ed' to the verb stem. It describes the result of the dentalization process.

Kelly Says

The 'd' and 't' sounds in Icelandic are heavily dentalized—speakers touch their tongue to their front teeth—which gives the language its distinctive sharp, crisp quality compared to English!

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