Clicks and voice quality in !χóõ

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!χóõ is a Southern Khoisan language spoken in Botswana.
By no means all of its many clicks are shown here (see separate demo specifically on clicks). The language is also remarkable for its wide range of contrastive voice qualities. These are illustrated here.

The transcriptions in the example below have been slightly simplified.
ǀ = dental click, ! = alveolar click, ǁ = lateral click

Clicking on the phonetic transcription will play the speaker used in the corresponding demo on the CD accompanying Ladefoged's "Vowels and Consonants" (this demo does not include types 3 and 4 below). Clicking on the English translation will play all 10 speakers from Ladefoged's Phonation Types tape.

Related demos:

  • Voice quality
  • Mpi (tone language with voice quality differences)
  • Laryngealization

    References:
    J. Esling (1996). "Pharyngeal consonants and the aryepiglottic sphincter". J. Int. Phonetic Association, 26(2), 65-88.
    P. Ladefoged & I. Maddieson (1996). "The sounds of the world's languages", especially pp. 306-313.

    Types Phonetic Transcription Translation Notes
    1. plain voiced S
    2. breathy voiced S
    3. plain, laryngealized  gǀaʔje
  • g before click symbol indicates voicing during click
  • The laryngealization involves a transition to a "glottal catch", hence the superscript glottal stop after the vowel.
  • 4. breathy voiced, laryngealized  ǀa̤ʔje
  • The laryngealization involves a transition to a "glottal catch", hence the superscript glottal stop after the vowel (simultaneous breathy voicing and laryngealization is impossible).
  • 5. pharyngealized
  • In Esling's terms the vowel is modified in the manner characteristic of a voiced pharyngeal (aryepiglottic) approximant [ʕ].
  • Type 5 probably has a raised larynx position.
  • 6. strident
  • The subscript ≈ is not a standard diacritic. It is used by Ladefoged to indicate extreme pharyngealization (epiglottalization). In Esling's terms a voiceless pharyngeal fricative with aryepiglottic trilling [ʜ] here functions as a kind of phonation type.
  • Type 6 probably has a raised larynx position.