dental (adj./n.)

A term in the PHONETIC classification of CONSONANT sounds on the basis of their PLACE of ARTICULATION: it refers to a sound made against the teeth, either by the tongue TIP and RIMS or by the lip. ‘Apico-dental’ is a more explicit but less used description of the first possibility, ‘apico-’ being derived from APEX, an alternative term for tongue tip; ‘labio-dental’ is a common description of the second. Usually the upper teeth are the ones involved, as in the ,  and  of some English DIALECTS, such as Irish English (this contrasts with the ALVEOLAR articulation of [d] and [t] in RECEIVED PRONUNCIATION); but both upper and lower teeth may be in contact with the tongue during the articulation, as in the th- sounds of thin [θ] and this . In [θ] and , moreover, the tip of the tongue is usually slightly between the teeth, in which cases the more precise term INTERDENTAL can be used. If the sound is articulated towards the back of the upper teeth, close to the alveolar ridge, the term ‘POST-dental’ can be used. ‘Denti-alveolar’ identifies the place of articulation at the junction of the upper teeth and alveolar ridge. The phonetic symbol for ‘dental articulation’ is , placed underneath the symbol for the consonant in question, as above.