Throat clearing

Throat clearing may be articulated consciously or unconsciously, and may be a symptom of a number of conditions, as follows:

• Laryngopharyngeal (upper respiratory tract) ailments:^[1]
  • Common cold or post-nasal drip: The nose dispatches mucus which is meant to assist clearing infections and allergens. Mucus which is thick is forced out with a throat clearing sound.
  • Laryngopharyngeal reflux^[2]
• Tics as signs of any of various conditions, including anxiety disorders or Tourette syndrome

Look up hem or ahem in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Throat clearing is a sound made at the back of the throat.^[3] The act of clearing the throat causes the folds in the throat to vibrate similar to a cough so it may be harmful if it is continuously practiced.^[4]

When the pressure is restricted with a closed mouth, as is common in polite society, the sound is articulated as a single-syllable exclamation, written onomatopoeiacally as "hem";^[5] or it may be articulated as a double-syllable sound, written as "ahem", which is expressed by inhaling slightly and then exhaling more forcibly. An alternate onomatopoeia written "hock" or "hawk" (as in "to hock a loogie") represents the impolite sound of loudly expelling a bolus of sputum with an open mouth.^[6]

A deliberately executed throat clearing can be a nonverbal, paralingual form of metacommunication.^[7] A loud, exaggerated throat-clearing noise may sometimes be used to get attention; as in the case of a parent signaling to a child that they should behave.^[8]

• Chronic cough – Long-term coughing
• Globus pharyngeus – "Lump in the throat" sensation