View source for Glottalized click

{{Short description|Type of click consonant}}
{{main|click consonant}}
{{Infobox IPA
| above      = [[Alveolar glottalized nasal click]]
| ipa symbol = ᵑ̊ǃˀ
}}
{{Infobox IPA
| above      = Dental glottalized oral click
| ipa symbol = ǀˀ
| showbelow  = no
}}
{{Infobox IPA
| above      = Lateral glottalized voiced nasal click
| ipa symbol = ᵑǁˀ
| showbelow  = no
}}
{{Infobox IPA
| above      = Palatal glottalized voiced oral click
| ipa symbol = ᶢǂˀ
| showbelow  = no
}}
{{Infobox IPA
| above      = Preglottalized labial nasal click
| ipa symbol = ˀᵑʘ
| showbelow  = no
}}
'''Glottalized clicks''' are [[click consonant]]s pronounced with closure of the [[glottis]]. All click types ([[alveolar click|alveolar]] {{IPA|ǃ}}, [[dental click|dental]] {{IPA|ǀ}}, [[lateral click|lateral]] {{IPA|ǁ}}, [[palatal click|palatal]] {{IPA|ǂ}}, [[retroflex click|retroflex]] {{IPA|‼}}, and [[labial click|labial]] {{IPA|ʘ}}) have glottalized variants. They are very common: All of the [[Khoisan languages]] of Africa have them (the [[Khoe languages|Khoe]], [[Tuu languages|Tuu]], and [[Kx'a languages|Kx'a]] language families, [[Sandawe language|Sandawe]], and [[Hadza language|Hadza]]), as does [[Dahalo language|Dahalo]] and the Bantu languages [[Yeyi language|Yeyi]] and [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]] (though [[Zulu language|Zulu]] does not).<ref>Derek Nurse, ''The Bantu Languages'', p 616</ref> They are produced by making a [[glottal stop]] (the catch in the throat in the middle of English ''uh-oh!''), which stops the flow of air, and then using the front of the tongue to make the click sound in the middle of the glottal stop.

=={{anchor|Glottalized nasal click}}Glottalized nasal clicks==
In all languages which have them, glottalized clicks are nasalized, though a few have non-nasal glottalized clicks as well. Glottalized nasal clicks are formed by closing the glottis so that the click is pronounced in silence; however, the nasal passage is left open (the [[Palatine velum|velum]] is lowered), and any preceding vowel will be nasalized. They are typically transcribed something like ''{{IPA|!’}}'' or ''{{IPA|ŋ!’}}'' or ''{{IPA|ŋ̊!’}}'', and often ''!’'' word-initially but ''n!’'' between vowels. In Khoekhoe they are written with the single letters ''ǃ ǁ ǀ ǂ'', in Juǀ’hõa, as ''ǃ’ ǁ’ ǀ’ ǂ’'' with a preceding nasal vowel, in Sandawe as ''q’ x’ c’'', in Hadza as ''qq xx cc'', and in Xhosa as ''nkc nkx nkq''. 

When full glottal closure is made, there is no nasal airflow during the click itself, and there is a period of silence after the click and before the pronunciation of the vowel. That is, they are pronounced {{IPA|[!͡ʔ]}}, etc. In many languages, however, the glottal closure is not complete, in which case they are pronounced with accompanying voiceless nasal airflow and transcribed {{angbr IPA|ŋ̊!ʔ}}, etc. A more general transcription is {{angbr IPA|ᵑ!ˀ}}; superscripting the nasal and glottal components indicates that they are articulated simultaneously with the click and not adjacent to it.

Initially and in citation form, the nasal component may be inaudible. That is, in this position glottalized clicks differ from plain ([[tenuis consonant|tenuis]]) clicks in the gap between click and vowel (the [[voice onset time]]), and from [[aspirated consonant|aspirated]] clicks in that this gap is silent rather than noisy. In canonical form, a glottal stop occurs between the release of the click and the start of the following vowel. In practice, though, the glottalization often 'leaks', with a [[creaky voice|creaky-voiced]] transition into the vowel. However, in medial position or embedded in a phrase after a vowel the nasalization can usually be heard: any preceding vowel will be nasalized or the click will be prenasalized. This is somewhat similar to aspirated nasal clicks, though in the later case the nasal airflow continues through the click itself. In neither case is the following vowel normally nasalized, something which occurs with simple [[nasal click]]s in languages like [[Gǀui dialect|Gǀui]].

=={{anchor|Ejective click}} Ejective clicks==
In a few languages—Gǀui, [[Taa language|Taa]], [[ǂ’Amkoe language|ǂ’Amkoe]], and, in Miller's analysis, [[Yeyi language|Yeyi]]—there is in addition a series of oral, non-contour glottalized clicks. These have been described as [[ejective]] in the cases of Gǀui and Taa, and Nakagawa (2006) transcribes the two series of glottalized clicks as glottalized {{angbr IPA|k!ʔ}} ({{angbr IPA|ŋ̊!ʔ}} in earlier publications) vs. ejective {{angbr IPA|k!’}}. Miller (2011) treats them as differing in nasality rather than in the type of glottalization.<ref>Amanda Miller, 2011. "The Representation of Clicks". In Oostendorp et al. eds., ''The Blackwell Companion to Phonology.''</ref> Miller treats the glottalization in these clicks as [[phonation]], so that both oral and nasal clicks occur with five phonations: [[tenuis consonant|tenuis]], [[voiced]], [[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]], murmured ([[breathy voiced]]), and glottalized.

=={{anchor|Ejective clicks|Ejective click}}Other types of glottalized clicks==
Other series of glottalized clicks have only been reported from two languages, Taa and ǂ’Amkoe. Taa distinguishes the singular and plural of many nouns via a voiceless vs. voiced initial consonant, and thus there are voiced and voiceless versions of the glottalized nasal and oral clicks. In the voiced versions the glottalization is delayed, so that the hold of the click is partially voiced or nasalized: that is, {{IPA|[ǃˀa]}} vs. {{IPA|[ᶢǃʔa]}} and {{IPA|[ᵑ!ˀa]}} vs {{IPA|[ᵑ!ʔa]}}.<ref>Naumann, Christfied (2008). "The Consonantal System of West !Xoon". ''3rd International Symposium on Khoisan Languages and Linguistics.'' Riezlern.</ref> The release of the voiced glottal click is "creaky", as the voiceless nasal often is. In Miller's treatment of phonation, this is perhaps a morphological contrast superimposed on the basic five-phonation system.

=={{anchor|Preglottalized nasal click}}Preglottalized nasal clicks==
A few languages also have preglottalized nasal clicks. These are pronounced like ordinary voiced nasal clicks, but are preceded by a very short period of prenasalization that has a [[glottal stop|glottal-stop]] onset. They are considered unitary consonants, and not sequences of glottal stop plus nasal click. They are reported from Taa, [[Ekoka !Kung]], and [[ǂ’Amkoe language|ǂ’Amkoe]]. (Taa and Ekoka !Kung also have preglottalized nasals {{IPA|/ˀm, ˀn/}}.) In one dialect of [[Gǀui language|Gǀui]], glottalized nasal clicks before pharyngealized vowels have become preglottalized nasal clicks, perhaps under the influence of ǂ’Amkoe.

==See also==
*[[Nasal click]]
*[[Pulmonic-contour click]]
*[[Ejective-contour click]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:Click consonants]]
[[Category:Glottalization]]