palatalise
/ˈpælətəlaɪz/
verb
- To pronounce a sound with the tongue raised toward the hard palate, making it a palatal or palatalized sound.
- You can palatalise a 'k' sound by raising the middle of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth.
- Linguists study how children naturally palatalise certain consonants as they learn to speak.
- In some dialects, speakers palatalise the 't' in 'nature' so it sounds like 'ch'.