retroflex (adj.)

A term used in the PHONETIC classification of CONSONANT sounds on the basis of their PLACE OF ARTICULATION: it refers to a sound made when the TIP of the TONGUE is curled back in the direction of the front part of the hard PALATE – in other words, just behind the ALVEOLAR ridge. The degree of retroflexion varies considerably between sounds and DIALECTS. The quality of r sounds traditionally associated with American English, and with many rural British English dialects (especially in the South West), illustrates one main group of retroflex sounds, and this quality may also be heard on any VOWELS preceding a retroflexed r (the vowel is said to be ‘r-COLOURED’ or ‘rhotacized’), as the tongue may begin to move to a retroflex position while the vowel is still being articulated. Other common retroflex consonants are the retroflexed correlates of [t] and [d] -  and  – heard in many Indian LANGUAGES, such as Hindi, and also in the English spoken by NATIVE-SPEAKERS of such languages. [n], [l], [s] and [z] may also be retroflexed.