Editing Palatalization (phonetics) (section)

==Examples==
===Slavic languages===
In many [[Slavic languages]], palatal or palatalized consonants are called '''soft''', and others are called '''hard'''. Some of them, like [[Russian phonology|Russian]], have numerous pairs of palatalized and unpalatalized consonant phonemes.

[[Russian Cyrillic]] has pairs of vowel letters that mark whether the consonant preceding them is hard/soft:
{{angbr|{{lang|ru|[[а]]}}}}/{{angbr|{{lang|ru|[[я]]}}}},
{{angbr|{{lang|ru|[[э]]}}}}/{{angbr|{{lang|ru|[[е]]}}}},
{{angbr|{{lang|ru|[[ы]]}}}}/{{angbr|{{lang|ru|[[и]]}}}},
{{angbr|{{lang|ru|[[о]]}}}}/{{angbr|{{lang|ru|[[ё]]}}}}, and
{{angbr|{{lang|ru|[[у]]}}}}/{{angbr|{{lang|ru|[[ю]]}}}}.
The otherwise [[silent letter|silent]] [[soft sign]] {{angbr|{{lang|ru|ь}}}} also indicates that the previous consonant is soft.

===Goidelic===
{{main|Irish phonology#Consonants|Scottish Gaelic phonology#Consonants}}
[[Irish language|Irish]] and [[Scottish Gaelic]] have pairs of palatalized (''slender'') and unpalatalized (''broad'') consonant phonemes. In Irish, most broad consonants are [[velarized]]. In Scottish Gaelic, the only velarized consonants are {{IPA|[n̪ˠ]}} and {{IPA|[l̪ˠ]}}; {{IPA|[r]}} is sometimes described as velarized as well.<ref>Bauer, Michael. ''Blas na Gàidhlig: The Practical Guide to Gaelic Pronunciation.'' Glasgow: Akerbeltz, 2011.</ref><ref>Nance, C., McLeod, W., [[Bernadette O'Rourke|O'Rourke, B.]] and Dunmore, S. (2016), Identity, accent aim, and motivation in second language users: New Scottish Gaelic speakers' use of phonetic variation. J Sociolinguistics, 20: 164–191. {{doi|10.1111/josl.12173}}</ref>

===Japanese===
{{main|Yōon}}
''[[Yōon]]'' are [[Japanese language|Japanese]] moras formed with an added {{IPAblink|j}} sound between the initial consonant and the vowel. For example, 今日 (''kyō'', "today") is written きょう [{{Transliteration|ja|italic=no|kʲoo}}], using a small version of [[よ]], while 器用 (''kiyō'', "skillful") is written きよう [{{Transliteration|ja|italic=no|kijoo}}], with a full-sized よ. [[historical kana orthography|Historically]], ''yōon'' were not distinguished with the smaller kana and had to be determined by context.

===Marshallese===
In the [[Marshallese language#Phonology|Marshallese language]], each consonant has some type of secondary articulation (palatalization, velarization, or [[Labialization|labiovelarization]]). The palatalized consonants are regarded as "light", and the velarized and rounded consonants are regarded as "heavy", with the rounded consonants being both velarized and labialized.

===Norwegian===
Many [[Norwegian dialects]] have phonemic palatalized consonants. In many parts of Northern Norway and many areas of Møre og Romsdal, for example, the words {{IPA|/hɑnː/}} ('hand') and /hɑnʲː/ ('he') are differentiated only by the palatalization of the final consonant. Palatalization is generally realised only on stressed syllables, but speakers of the Sør-Trøndelag dialects will generally palatalize the coda of a determined plural as well: e.g. {{IPA|/hunʲː.ɑnʲ/}} or, in other areas, {{IPA|/hʉnʲː.ɑn/}} ('the dogs'), rather than *{{IPA|/hunʲː.ɑn/}}. Norwegian dialects utilizing palatalization will generally palatalize {{IPA|/d/}}, {{IPA|/l/}}, {{IPA|/n/}} and {{IPA|/t/}}.