IPA Symbol: Apostrophe ['] following consonant
Place of articulation: Various (can occur at multiple places)
Manner of articulation: Glottalic egressive
Voice: Typically voiceless
Used in languages: Amharic, Hausa, Quechua, Georgian, many Native American languages
Ejective consonants are a class of consonants that feature a unique airstream mechanism distinct from the pulmonic consonants found in most of the world's languages. They are produced using the glottalic egressive airstream mechanism, creating sounds with distinctive acoustic properties and articulatory characteristics.
Ejective consonants are produced by closing the glottis (the space between the vocal folds) simultaneously with another closure or constriction in the vocal tract. As the larynx moves upward, air pressure builds in the space between these two closures. When the upper closure is released, the compressed air is ejected, creating the characteristic "popping" sound of ejectives.
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, ejective consonants are represented by placing an apostrophe ['] after the symbol for the corresponding pulmonic consonant. For example:
Ejective consonants are found in approximately 20% of the world's languages. They are particularly common in language families including:
Examples of words containing ejective consonants include:
Ejective consonants have several distinctive features: