In human speech, egressive sounds are sounds in which the
air stream 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 Organ (biology), organs of the respiratory system in many animals, including humans. In mammals and most other tetrapods, two lungs are located near the Vertebral column, backbone on either side of the heart. Their ...
s),
glottalic egressive (from the
glottis), 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 egressive sounds are those in which the air stream is created by the
lung
The lungs are the primary Organ (biology), organs of the respiratory system in many animals, including humans. In mammals and most other tetrapods, two lungs are located near the Vertebral column, backbone on either side of the heart. Their ...
s,
ribs, and
diaphragm. The majority of sounds in most languages, such as , 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
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Airstream mechanism
*
Articulatory phonetics
*
Ingressive sound
References
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Phonetics
Consonants by airstream