Barred lambda

The barred lambda (Ƛ ƛ) (U+A7DC Ƛ LATIN CAPITAL LETTER LAMBDA WITH STROKE, U+019B ƛ LATIN SMALL LETTER LAMBDA WITH STROKE), is a modified letter of the Greek alphabet, commonly encountered in North American linguistics. It is used by the Salishan and Wakashan languages in Canada.^[1] In Americanist phonetic notation, it is also known as running man^[2] or blam,^[3][4] and is used to transcribe a voiceless alveolar lateral affricate [t͡ɬ]. In physics, it represents the reduced Compton wavelength, i.e. the Compton wavelength λ divided by 2π.

Cased forms of the barred lambda. The capital was assigned to Unicode in 2024.

Writing systemLatin script

Typealphabetic

Language of originAmericanist phonetic notation

Sound values

• /tɬ/

Quick facts Usage, Writing system ...

Barred lambda
Ƛ ƛ
Usage
Writing system	Latin script
Type	alphabetic
Language of origin	Americanist phonetic notation
Sound values	/tɬ/
In Unicode	U+A7DC, U+019B
History
Development	Λ λ Ꟛ ꟛ Ƛ ƛ
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

Close

It was first used in a phonetics context in American Anthropologist in 1934:

λ for [dl] has been used in Eskimo by Jenness ... ƛ for [tł] is an innovation formed from λ as ł from l.^[5]

It is also used for the affricate [t͡ɬ] in transcribing the Sahaptin language, e.g., iƛúpna ‘he jumped’, and it is commonly used for the same purpose in several languages of the Caucasus, such as Hinuq.^[6] In addition, its counterpart with a combining comma above right (U+0315), ƛ̓ [fr], is used for many of the Salish languages, such as Klallam, for an alveolar lateral ejective affricate [t͡ɬʼ].