In Semitic

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Ling ...

, an emphatic consonant is an obstruent

consonant In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are and pronounced with the lips; and pronounced with the front of the tongue; and pronounced w ...

which originally contrasted with series of both voiced and

voiceless In linguistics, voicelessness is the property of sounds being pronounced without the larynx vibrating. Phonologically, it is a type of phonation, which contrasts with other states of the larynx, but some object that the word phonation implies ...

obstruents. In specific

Semitic languages The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, the Horn of Africa, and latterly North Africa, Malta, West Africa, Chad, and in large immigrant ...

, the members of this series may be realized as

uvularized Uvularization is a secondary articulation of consonants or vowels by which the back of the tongue is constricted toward the uvula and upper pharynx during the articulation of a sound with its primary articulation elsewhere. IPA symbols In the Int ...

pharyngealized Pharyngealization is a secondary articulation of consonants or vowels by which the pharynx or epiglottis is constricted during the articulation of the sound. IPA symbols In the International Phonetic Alphabet, pharyngealization can be indic ...

, velarized, ejective, or plain voiced or

s. It is also used, to a lesser extent, to describe cognate series in other

Afro-Asiatic languages The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic s ...

, where they are typically realized as ejective, implosive, or

s. In

Semitic studies Semitic studies, or Semitology, is the academic field dedicated to the studies of Semitic languages and literatures and the history of the Semitic-speaking peoples. A person may be called a ''Semiticist'' or a ''Semitist'', both terms being equ ...

, they are commonly transcribed using the convention of placing a dot under the closest plain obstruent consonant in the

Latin alphabet The Latin alphabet or Roman alphabet is the collection of letters originally used by the ancient Romans to write the Latin language. Largely unaltered with the exception of extensions (such as diacritics), it used to write English and the ...

. With respect to particular Semitic and

, this term describes the particular phonetic feature which distinguishes these consonants from other consonants. Thus, in Arabic emphasis is synonymous with a

secondary articulation In phonetics, secondary articulation occurs when the articulation of a consonant is equivalent to the combined articulations of two or three simpler consonants, at least one of which is an approximant. The secondary articulation of such co-articu ...

involving retraction of the dorsum or root of the tongue, which has variously been described as velarization or

pharyngealization Pharyngealization is a secondary articulation of consonants or vowels by which the pharynx or epiglottis is constricted during the articulation of the sound. IPA symbols In the International Phonetic Alphabet, pharyngealization can be indicated b ...

depending on where the locus of the retraction is assumed to be. Original emphatic ''k'' developed into in most Semitic languages; strictly speaking, it has thus ceased to be an emphatic version of ''k'' and has become a completely different consonant. (Accordingly, another common transcription in Semitic languages is ''q''). Within Arabic, the emphatic consonants vary in phonetic realization from dialect to dialect, but are typically realized as pharyngealized consonants. In Ethiopian Semitic and

Modern South Arabian languages The Modern South Arabian languages (MSALs), also known as Eastern South Semitic languages, are a group of endangered languages spoken by small populations inhabiting the Arabian Peninsula, in Yemen and Oman, and Socotra Island. Together with the ...

, they are realized as ejective consonants. While these sounds do not necessarily share any particular ''phonetic'' properties in common, most historically derive from a common source. Five such "emphatic" phonemes are reconstructed for Proto-Semitic: General Israeli

Modern Hebrew Modern Hebrew ( he, עברית חדשה, ''ʿivrít ḥadašá ', , '' lit.'' "Modern Hebrew" or "New Hebrew"), also known as Israeli Hebrew or Israeli, and generally referred to by speakers simply as Hebrew ( ), is the standard form of the He ...

and Maltese are notable exceptions among Semitic languages to the presence of emphatic consonants. In both languages, they have been lost under the influence of

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, D ...

(particularly

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

in the case of Hebrew and Sicilian in the case of Maltese, though other languages may also have had an influence). * In Hebrew, the letter tsadi (from Proto-Semitic '', , '') remains distinct as an affricate , but without pharyngealization. Emphatic ' has been merged with plain ''k'' in some positions, but remains distinct post-vocally, where the plain consonant becomes , while the original emphatic does not. Semitic ' has been fully merged with plain ''t''. * In Maltese, only emphatic ' (= ''q'') remains distinct. It is still realised as a uvular stop in a few villages but has otherwise developed into a

glottal stop The glottal plosive or stop is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages, produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract or, more precisely, the glottis. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents thi ...

. All other emphatics have been merged into plain consonants. However, they are sometimes still recognizable from special vocalic developments that they triggered before the mergers. Compare '' sejf'' ("sword") with '' sajf'' ("summer"), in which the latter originally had an emphatic ''ṣ'' that prevented the ''a'' from becoming ''e'' (as it did in the former word with a plain ''s'').

Notes

References

Phonology Phonetics Semitic linguistics {{Semitic-lang-stub