Pharyngealization

Template:Short description Template:Also Template:Infobox IPA/core1 Template:Infobox IPA/core1 Pharyngealization is a secondary articulation of consonants or vowels by which the pharynx or epiglottis is constricted during the articulation of the sound.

IPA symbols

In the International Phonetic Alphabet, pharyngealization can be indicated by one of two methods:

1. A tilde or swung dash (IPA Number 428) is written through the base letter (typographic overstrike). It is the older and more generic symbol. It indicates velarization, uvularization or pharyngealization, as in , the guttural equivalent of .
2. The symbol Template:Angbr IPA (IPA Number 423) – a superscript variant of , the voiced pharyngeal approximant – is written after the base letter. It indicates specifically a pharyngealized consonant, as in , a pharyngealized .

Computing codes

Since Unicode 1.1, there have been two similar superscript characters: IPA Template:Angbr IPA (Template:Unichar) and Semiticist Template:Angbr IPA (Template:Unichar). U+02E4 is formally a superscript Template:Angbr IPA (Template:Unichar, = reversed glottal stop), and in the Unicode charts looks like a simple superscript Template:Angbr IPA, though in some fonts it looks like a superscript reversed lower-case letter glottal stop Template:Angbr IPA. U+02C1 is a typographic alternative to Template:Angbr (Template:Unichar); which is used to transliterate the Semitic consonant ayin and which = reversed Template:Angbr, which itself transliterates the glottal Semitic consonants aleph and hamza. In the Unicode charts U+02C1 looks like a reversed Template:Angbr IPA (Template:Unichar), which is used in the IPA for glottalization. There is no parallel Unicode distinction for modifier glottal stop. The IPA Handbook lists U+02E4 as the Unicode equivalent of IPA Number 423, the dedicated IPA symbol for pharyngealization.

The superimposed tilde is assigned Unicode character U+0334. This was originally intended to combine with other letters to represent pharyngealization. However, that usage is now deprecated (though still functional), and several precomposed letters have been adopted to replace it. These are the labial consonants Template:Angbr IPA and the coronal consonants Template:Angbr IPA.

Character	ʕ		ˤ		ˁ		ʿ		̴
Unicode name	Latin letter pharyngeal voiced fricative		modifier letter small reversed glottal stop		modifier letter reversed glottal stop		modifier letter left half ring		combining tilde overlay
Character encoding	decimal	hex	decimal	hex	decimal	hex	decimal	hex	decimal	hex
	661	0295	740	02E4	705	02C1	703	02BF	820	0334
Numeric character reference	ʕ	ʕ	ˤ	ˤ	ˁ	ˁ	ʿ	ʿ	̴	̴

Usage

Ubykh, an extinct Northwest Caucasian language spoken in Russia and Turkey, used pharyngealization in 14 pharyngealized consonants. Chilcotin has pharyngealized consonants that trigger pharyngealization of vowels. Many languages (such as Salishan, Sahaptian) in the Plateau culture area of North America also have pharyngealization processes that are triggered by pharyngeal or pharyngealized consonants, which affect vowels.

The Tuu/"Khoisan" language Taa (or !Xóõ) has pharyngealized vowels that contrast phonemically with voiced, breathy and epiglottalized vowels. That feature is represented in the orthography by a tilde under the respective pharyngealized vowel. In Tuu languages, epiglottalized vowels are phonemic.

For many languages, pharyngealization is generally associated with more dental articulations of coronal consonants. Dark l tends to be dental or denti-alveolar, but clear l tends to be retracted to an alveolar position.

Arabic and Syriac use secondary uvularization, which is generally not distinguished from pharyngealization, for the "emphatic" coronal consonants.

Examples of pharyngealized consonants

(Uvularized consonants are not distinguished.)

Stops

• pharyngealized voiceless alveolar stop {{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Voiceless_pharyngealized_alveolar_stop.ogg" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler (in Chechen, Berber, Arabic, Kurmanji, Mizrahi and Classical Hebrew)
• pharyngealized voiced alveolar stop {{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Voiced pharyngealized alveolar stop.ogg" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler (in Chechen, Tamazight and Arabic)
• pharyngealized voiceless bilabial stop (in Kurmanji, Chechen and Ubykh)
• pharyngealized voiced bilabial stop (in Chechen, Ubykh, Siwa, Shihhi Arabic and Iraqi Arabic, allophonic in Adyghe and Kabardian)
• pharyngealized voiceless uvular stop (in Ubykh, Tsakhur, and Archi)
• pharyngealized voiced uvular stop (in Tsakhur)
• pharyngealized glottal stop (in Shihhi Arabic; allophonic in Chechen)
• pharyngealized voiceless velar plosive (in Kurmanji)
• pharyngealized voiced velar plosive (in SoraniTemplate:Sfnp)

Fricatives

• pharyngealized voiceless alveolar sibilant {{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Voiceless pharyngealized alveolar sibilant.ogg" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler (in Chechen, Kurmanji, Arabic, Classical Hebrew and Northern Berber)
• pharyngealized voiced alveolar sibilant {{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Voiced pharyngealized alveolar sibilant.ogg" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler (in Chechen, Berber, Arabic and Kurmanji)
• pharyngealized voiceless postalveolar fricative (in Kabyle and Chechen)
• pharyngealized voiced postalveolar fricative (in Kabyle and Chechen)
• pharyngealized voiceless dental fricative (in Zenaga, Shawiya and Shehri)
• pharyngealized voiced dental fricative {{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Voiced pharyngealized dental fricative.ogg" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler (in Arabic , and as , a variant pronunciation in Mehri)
• pharyngealized voiceless alveolar lateral fricative
• pharyngealized voiced alveolar lateral fricative {{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Voiced pharyngealized alveolar lateral fricative.ogg" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler (in Soqotri, a variant pronunciation in Mehri, and postulated for Classical Arabic)
• pharyngealized voiceless labiodental fricative (in SoraniTemplate:Sfnp)
• pharyngealized voiced labiodental fricative (in Ubykh)
• pharyngealized voiceless uvular fricative (in Ubykh, Tsakhur, Archi and Bzyb Abkhaz)
• pharyngealized voiced uvular fricative (in Ubykh, Tsakhur and Archi)
• pharyngealized voiceless glottal fricative (in Tsakhur)

Affricates

• pharyngealized voiceless alveolar affricate (in Chechen)
• pharyngealized voiced alveolar affricate (in Chechen)
• pharyngealized voiceless postalveolar affricate (in Chechen and Kurmanji)
• pharyngealized voiced postalveolar affricate (in Chechen)

Trills

• pharyngealized voiced alveolar trill (in Kabyle, Chechen and Siwa)

Nasals

• pharyngealized bilabial nasal (in Chechen, Ubykh, Moroccan Darija, and Iraqi Arabic)
• pharyngealized alveolar nasal (in Chechen)
• pharyngealized uvular nasal (in Kusunda)

Approximants

• pharyngealized labialized velar approximant (in Shihhi Arabic, Chechen and Ubykh)
• pharyngealized alveolar lateral approximant (in Kabyle, Chechen, English, and Northern Standard Dutch)
• pharyngealized labialized postalveolar approximant {{errorTemplate:Main other|Audio file "Postalveolar approximant.ogg" not found}}Template:Category handlerTemplate:Category handler (an Template:IPAc-en variant in American English)
• pharyngealized velar approximant , with the body of the tongue bunched up at the velum (in some dialects of American English and Dutch)

Examples of pharyngealized vowels

• pharyngealized open-mid back rounded vowel in Northern Standard Dutch
• pharyngealized vowels in the Air Tamajeq language
• pharyngealized vowels in Even
• pharyngealized vowels in Tsakhur
• pharyngealized vowels in Udi
• pharyngealized vowels in Mambay (Mangbai)
• pharyngealized vowels in ǃXóõ

See also

• Velarization
• Creaky voice (laryngealization)
• Pharyngeal consonant
• Epiglottal consonant
• Pharynx

Further reading

• Ian Maddieson, Typology and occurrence of pharyngeals and pharyngealization around the world.