A
glottalic consonant is a
consonantIn articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the upper vocal tract, the upper vocal tract being defined as that part of the vocal tract that lies above the larynx...
produced with some important contribution (a movement, a closure) of the
glottisThe glottis is defined as the combination of the vocal folds and the space in between the folds .-Function:As the vocal folds vibrate, the resulting vibration produces a "buzzing" quality to the speech, called voice or voicing or pronunciation.Sound production involving only the glottis is called...
(the opening that leads from the nose and mouth cavities into the larynx and the lungs).
Glottalic sounds may involve motion of the
larynxThe larynx , colloquially known as the voicebox, is an organ in the neck of mammals involved in protection of the trachea and sound production...
upward or downward, producing an egressive or ingressive glottalic
airstream mechanismIn phonetics, the airstream mechanism is the method by which airflow is created in the vocal tract. Along with phonation, it is one of two mandatory aspects of sound production; without these, there can be no speech sound....
respectively. An egressive glottalic airstream produces
ejective consonantIn phonetics, ejective consonants are voiceless consonants that are pronounced with simultaneous closure of the glottis. In the phonology of a particular language, ejectives may contrast with aspirated or tenuis consonants...
s, while an ingressive glottalic airstream produces
implosive consonantImplusive consonants are stops with a mixed glottalic ingressive and pulmonic egressive airstream mechanism. That is, the airstream is controlled by moving the glottis downward in addition to expelling air from the lungs. Therefore, unlike the purely glottalic ejective consonants, implosives can...
s.
A
glottalic consonant is a
consonantIn articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the upper vocal tract, the upper vocal tract being defined as that part of the vocal tract that lies above the larynx...
produced with some important contribution (a movement, a closure) of the
glottisThe glottis is defined as the combination of the vocal folds and the space in between the folds .-Function:As the vocal folds vibrate, the resulting vibration produces a "buzzing" quality to the speech, called voice or voicing or pronunciation.Sound production involving only the glottis is called...
(the opening that leads from the nose and mouth cavities into the larynx and the lungs).
Glottalic sounds may involve motion of the
larynxThe larynx , colloquially known as the voicebox, is an organ in the neck of mammals involved in protection of the trachea and sound production...
upward or downward, producing an egressive or ingressive glottalic
airstream mechanismIn phonetics, the airstream mechanism is the method by which airflow is created in the vocal tract. Along with phonation, it is one of two mandatory aspects of sound production; without these, there can be no speech sound....
respectively. An egressive glottalic airstream produces
ejective consonantIn phonetics, ejective consonants are voiceless consonants that are pronounced with simultaneous closure of the glottis. In the phonology of a particular language, ejectives may contrast with aspirated or tenuis consonants...
s, while an ingressive glottalic airstream produces
implosive consonantImplusive consonants are stops with a mixed glottalic ingressive and pulmonic egressive airstream mechanism. That is, the airstream is controlled by moving the glottis downward in addition to expelling air from the lungs. Therefore, unlike the purely glottalic ejective consonants, implosives can...
s. Ejectives are almost always voiceless stops (plosives) or affricates, while implosives are almost always voiced stops.
However, when a sound is said to be
glottalizedGlottalization is the complete or partial closure of the glottis during the articulation of another sound. Glottalization of vowels and voiced consonants is most often realized as creaky voice...
, this is not normally what is meant. Rather, glottalization implies that a normal pulmonic airstream is interrupted by closure of the glottis.
SonorantIn phonetics and phonology, a sonorant is a speech sound that is produced without turbulent airflow in the vocal tract. Essentially this means a sound that's "squeezed out" or "spat out" is not a sonorant. For example, vowels are sonorants, as are consonants like and . Other consonants, like or...
s (including vowels) may be glottalized in this fashion. There are two ways this is represented in the IPA: (a) the same way as ejectives, with an apostrophe; or, (b) more properly with the under-tilde for
creaky voiceIn linguistics, creaky voice , is a special kind of phonation in which the arytenoid cartilages in the larynx are drawn together; as a result, the vocal folds are compressed rather tightly, becoming relatively slack and compact...
. For example, the
YapeseYapese is a language spoken by 6,600 people on the island of Yap .It belongs to the Austronesian languages, more specifically to the Oceanic languages...
word for
sick with a glottalized
m could be transcribed as either . (In some typefaces, the apostrophe would occur above the em.)
When glottalic consonants of different types are present in a language, they tend to form a single
phonologicalPhonology is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use. Just as a language has syntax and vocabulary, it also has a phonology in the sense of a sound system...
class. This can also be seen from how a language that has one kind of glottalized consonant is also more likely to have other kinds than could be expected by random chance. The connection is particularly strong between ejectives and glottalized sonorants, though this may be an areal feature rather than an inherent feature of the sounds in question. Furthermore, since none of the three types are very common, languages containing more than one type are still quite rare.
How to produce an implosive consonant
In order to produce an implosive
b, do as follows:
- Close your lips together so as to pronounce a [b].
- Move your glottis downward as if you were swallowing. You should be able to feel it move with your fingers; if you have a noticeable adam's apple, you should also be able to see it move in a mirror.
- While 'swallowing', open your lips and say [ba]. Try doing this quickly so that the air flows into your mouth while you pronounce the [b]. There should be a deep hollow sound, and the [a] should follow smoothly.
The same principle applies to the other implosive consonants, but is the easiest.
How to produce an ejective consonant
In order to produce, for example, an ejective
k, do as follows:
- Press the back of your tongue to the roof of your mouth so as to pronounce a [k].
- Move your glottis upward. If this is not something you normally do, you may need to monitor your adam's apple with your fingers.
- You may notice the pressure building. Release the back of your tongue, letting out air for a [ka]. The [k] should be clicky and dull. (Your glottis will move down again during the [a], so don't mind that.)
The same principle applies to the other ejective consonants, but is the easiest.
Glottalic sounds in languages
Many of the languages of the Pacific coast of America, southern and eastern Africa, the Caucasus feature ejectives. They are also found in e.g. parts of Siberia.
Implosives are more strongly areal in their distribution; they are found throughout all but northernmost Africa, and, to a lesser extent, Southeast Asia. They are rather rare elsewhere.
Glottalic resonants most commonly occur in the Pacific Northwest linguistic area.