Complex Tongue Shaping in Lateral Liquid Production Without Constriction-Based Goals

Liquids are complex consonants that employ multiple gestures of the tongue in order to achieve specific tongue shapes. In the case of the lateral liquid /l/, that specific shape involves lowering and curling of the tongue along the blade. Many models of speech treat /l/ simply as a combination of tongue tip closure and tongue body retraction gestures, with tongue shaping receiving little attention. Here we examine the sequencing of achievement of both the constriction gestures and complex tongue shaping of American English /l/. This will allow us to discern the interaction between constriction formation and tongue shaping, shedding light on the true goals of production for lateral liquids. The results suggest that the so-called primary tongue tip constriction gesture of /l/ is actually a form of tongue bracing that aids in the achievement of tongue curling in tandem with tongue body retraction, the true goals of production of this complex consonant.