The retroflex nasal click is a rare
click consonant. There is no symbol for it in the
International Phonetic Alphabet. The
Beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...
convention is , and this is used in practical orthography.
Features
Features of the retroflex nasal click:
Occurrence
Retroflex nasal clicks are only attested from two languages,
Central !Kung
Central ǃKung (Central ǃXun), or Central Ju, is a language of the ǃKung dialect cluster, spoken in a small area of northern Namibia: Neitsas, in Grootfontein district, and Gaub, in Tsumeb district. It is frequently reported as Grootfontein ...
and
Damin
Damin ( in the practical orthography of Lardil) was a ceremonial language register used by the advanced initiated men of the aboriginal Lardil ( in the practical orthography) and Yangkaal peoples of northern Australia. Both inhabit islan ...
.
Glottalized alveolar nasal click
All
Khoisan
Khoisan , or (), according to the contemporary Khoekhoegowab orthography, is a catch-all term for those indigenous peoples of Southern Africa who do not speak one of the Bantu languages, combining the (formerly "Khoikhoi") and the or ( in ...
languages have glottalized nasal clicks. These are formed by closing 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), ...
so that the click is pronounced in silence; however, any preceding vowel will be nasalized.
References
{{IPA navigation
Nasal consonants
Palatal consonants
Click consonants
Central consonants
Voiced consonants