[ʎ]
The [ʎ] sound is not present in standard English.
The following English words have a sound that is similar to the Portuguese [ʎ]:
- Billion
- Million
Examples:
Filho
/ˈfiʎu/
Son
Trabalho
/tɾaˈbaʎu/
Work
Velho
/ˈveʎu/
Old
Espelho
/isˈpeʎu/
Mirror
The IPA sound [ʎ] is known as a palatal lateral approximant. It is produced by raising the middle part of the tongue towards the hard part of the roof of the mouth (the palate) while allowing air to flow along the sides of the tongue. In Brazilian Portuguese, the [ʎ] sound is similar to the "lli" sound found in words like "million" or "billionaire".
Here are some tips on how to pronounce [ʎ]:
- Start by saying the "l" sound in "light".
- Then, raise the back of your tongue towards the roof of your mouth.
- Finally, allow the airstream to flow around the sides of your tongue.
- Now, pronounce a letter "y" sound after the letter "l" sound.