Lambdacism (from the Greek letter ?) is the inability to pronounce or difficulty in pronouncing l sounds.^[1] In general, /r/ is usually substituted for /l/, as in Japanese. The native Igbo-speaking communities in Southern Nigeria are also known to have the interchange common while pronouncing Igbo and English words.^[2]

A common form of lambdacism is lallation. The substitution of /l/ for /?/ in pronunciation, it is a common feature of Japanese and Korean pronunciation of English. Substitution of /l/ for /n/ at the beginning of a word or syllable (or the reverse at the end) is also a feature in certain East Asian languages, such as the Northern dialect of Vietnamese as well as Cantonese and Thai.

See also

• Rhotacism, the equivalent condition with /r/
• Perception of English /r/ and /l/ by Japanese speakers

References

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