Lateral release (phonetics)

Imagine that your tongue is a superhero trying to save the day! It can move in different ways inside your mouth to make all the sounds you say, just like a superhero with different powers. One of those movements is called a lateral release.

When your tongue does a lateral release, it means that it moves from side to side, like a snake slithering from left to right. It's like if you were trying to lick a delicious ice cream cone that's completely covered in sprinkles. To lick all the sprinkles, you would have to move your tongue from side to side across the cone.

In phonetics, which is the study of sounds, a lateral release is when your tongue touches the top of your mouth (the roof of your mouth) and then quickly moves away to the sides. This movement creates a special sound called a lateral consonant.

A lateral consonant sounds like when you blow air through both sides of your mouth at the same time (try doing that!). The air goes between your tongue and the side of your mouth. It's different from a regular sound because the air doesn't come out in the middle of your mouth like when you say "ahhh" or "sss."

For example, when you say the word "lovely," the "l" sound at the beginning and end is made with a lateral release. Your tongue touches the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth, and then quickly moves away to the sides. This creates that slithery "l" sound that makes the word sound so nice and lovely!

So, a lateral release is like your tongue's superpower, allowing it to move from side to side to make special sounds. It's just like a superhero saving the day, but instead of fighting bad guys, it helps us make cool sounds in our words!