Lambdacism (from the Greek letter λ) is the inability to pronounce or difficulty in pronouncing l sounds.[1] In general, /r/ is usually substituted for /l/, as in Japanese. The native Igbo-speaking communities in Southern Nigeria are also known to have the interchange common while pronouncing Igbo and English words.[2]
A common form of lambdacism is lallation. The substitution of /l/ for /ɹ/ in pronunciation, it is a common feature of Japanese and Korean pronunciation of English. Substitution of /l/ for /n/ at the beginning of a word or syllable (or the reverse at the end) is also a feature in certain East Asian languages, such as the Northern dialect of Vietnamese as well as Cantonese and Thai.
See also
- Rhotacism, the equivalent condition with /r/
- Perception of English /r/ and /l/ by Japanese speakers
References
- ^ Stinchfield, Sara M (1933). Speech Disorders: A PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY of the Various Defects of Speech. Routledge. ISBN 9781136310256. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
lamdacism for difficulty with l sounds
- ^ Onyeka, C. N. (2017). "CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF LAMBDACISM IN THE SPEECH OF IGBO-ENGLISH BILINGUALS IN ALOR DIALECT". University of Lagos Publications. Retrieved 7 April 2020.