In human speech, egressive sounds are sounds in which the
air stream
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
is created by pushing air out through the mouth or nose. The three types of egressive sounds are
pulmonic egressive (from the
lung
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...
s),
glottalic egressive
In phonetics, ejective consonants are usually voiceless consonants that are pronounced with a Airstream mechanism#Glottalic initiation, glottalic egressive airstream. In the phonology of a particular language, ejectives may contrast with Aspirat ...
(from the
glottis
The glottis is the opening between the vocal folds (the rima glottidis). The glottis is crucial in producing vowels and voiced consonants.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ''γλωττίς'' (glōttís), derived from ''γλῶττα'' (glôtta), va ...
), and lingual (velaric) egressive (from the
tongue). The opposite of an egressive sound is an
ingressive sound, in which the airstream flows inward through the mouth or nose.
Pulmonic egressive
Pulmonic
In phonetics, the airstream mechanism is the method by which airflow is created in the vocal tract. Along with phonation and articulation, it is one of three main components of speech production. The airstream mechanism is mandatory for sound p ...
egressive sounds are those in which the air stream is created by the
lung
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...
s,
rib
In vertebrate anatomy, ribs ( la, costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ches ...
s, and
diaphragm
Diaphragm may refer to:
Anatomy
* Thoracic diaphragm, a thin sheet of muscle between the thorax and the abdomen
* Pelvic diaphragm or pelvic floor, a pelvic structure
* Urogenital diaphragm or triangular ligament, a pelvic structure
Other
* Diap ...
. The majority of sounds in most languages, such as
vowels, are both pulmonic and egressive. Pulmonic egressive sounds are found in all spoken languages.
Glottalic egressive
Glottalic egressive sounds are known as
ejectives.
Lingual egressive
The lingual egressive, also known as velaric egressive, involves a double closure similar to that of the
lingual ingressive sounds known as
clicks, but with airflow in the opposite direction. With the
velum closed, the speaker forces air out of the mouth using either the tongue or cheeks, as in the French expression of dismissal. While not known to be used for normal vocabulary in any human language,
apart from the extinct Australian ritual language
Damin, a variation of this airstream mechanism is known to musicians as part of
circular breathing.
See also
*
Airstream mechanism
*
Articulatory phonetics
*
Ingressive sound
References
*{{SOWL
Phonetics
Consonants by airstream