Non-pulmonic consonants

 

Non-pulmonic consonants

Non-pulmonic consonants are a category of speech sounds that are produced without the typical airflow from the lungs (pulmonic airflow) that is used in the production of most consonants. Instead, non-pulmonic consonants are produced using other mechanisms, such as clicks or implosives.

One common type of non-pulmonic consonant is the click, which is found in languages such as Xhosa and Zulu in southern Africa. Clicks are produced by creating a pocket of air between two articulators (usually the tongue and the roof of the mouth) and then releasing it rapidly, creating a distinctive sound.

Another type of non-pulmonic consonant is the implosive, which is found in languages such as Hausa and Sindhi. Implosives are produced by pulling the air inward instead of pushing it out, resulting in a sound that is somewhat similar to a "suction" effect.

Non-pulmonic consonants are relatively rare in the world's languages compared to pulmonic consonants, but they play important roles in the phonological systems of the languages that use them.