Velaric Airflow: Nasal Click
Robert Mannell
Important: If the two members
of any of these pairs of phonetic tokens ([ & ʃ],
[ & o̥],
[ & oː],
[ & n͡o],
or [ & o͡o])
differ greatly from each other in shape, then click
here for instructions on how to set up the phonetic font. |
Nasal Click
Nasal clicks are also known as nasal velaric ingressives.
The following sequence of events produces an nasal click:-
- Anterior (front) oral closure (in this case on the alveolar ridge in contact
with the back of the teeth, for a dental click)
- Closure at the soft palate (velum). This velar closure is the reason for
the term "velaric airflow".
- Air (approximately at atmospheric pressure) is trapped between the tongue
and the roof of the mouth
- Centre of the tongue is lowered (with a possible simultaneous sliding
back of the velar closure). This creates a larger enclosed chamber containing
rarefied (low pressure) air.
- Anterior closure (at 1) is released and air rushes in from outside to
equalise the air pressure. This creates turbulence which results in the
noise of the click.
- During the sequence 1-5 the velum is lowered which permits simultaneous
egressive flow through the nose. At the same time the vocal folds are vibrating,
so a voiced nasal sound is produced simultaneously with the click.
Nasal Click Stricture Type
Nasal Clicks have stop stricture
Types of Nasal Click
- [ǀŋ]
dental/alveolar click
Closure as for [t]. When released, air passes over
the centre of the tongue.
- [ǃŋ]
retroflex click
Closure as for [ʈ]. Closure is first sucked back
to the hard palate before release. When released, air passes over the centre
of the tongue.
- [ǁŋ]
lateral click
Closure as for [t]. When released, air passes over
the side(s) of the tongue.
The types of nasal clicks described above are essentially identical to the
types of oral clicks but with the addition of nasal airflow and voiced nasal
resonance.
Examples
These examples are from Hottentot
| [ǀŋam] |
love |
| [ǃŋa] |
fall |
| [ǁŋu] |
far |
