Velar ejective fricative
Consonantal sound represented by ⟨xʼ⟩ in IPA
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A velar ejective fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨xʼ⟩.
Features
Features of a velar ejective fricative:
- Its manner of articulation is fricative, which means it is produced by constricting air flow through a narrow channel at the place of articulation, causing turbulence.
- Its place of articulation is velar, which means it is articulated with the back of the tongue (the dorsum) at the soft palate.
- Its phonation is voiceless, which means it is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords.
- It is an oral consonant, which means that air is not allowed to escape through the nose.
- The airstream mechanism is ejective (glottalic egressive), which means the air is forced out by pumping the glottis upward.
Occurrence
The velar ejective fricative occurs in the Dakota language,[1] Saho language, where it is represented as qh,[2] and Tlingit language.[3] It has been reported as well in the Winnebago and Chiwere languages.[citation needed]