Pharyngeal consonant facts for kids
A pharyngeal consonant is a special type of consonant sound. These sounds are made deep in your throat, in an area called the pharynx. Imagine the space behind your tongue and above your voice box – that's where these sounds are produced.
Some pharyngeal sounds are made by pulling the back of your tongue towards the back of your throat. Others use a small flap called the epiglottis, which is near the entrance to your windpipe. Sometimes, both parts of the throat work together to make these unique sounds.
Pharyngeal consonants can affect the vowels next to them. For example, in some types of Arabic language, a vowel sound might change slightly when it's near a pharyngeal consonant. This shows how these sounds can influence other sounds in a word.
Pharyngeal Consonants in the IPA
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) has special symbols for pharyngeal and epiglottal consonants. These symbols help linguists and language learners write down exactly how sounds are made.
Here are some examples of these sounds:
| IPA Symbol | How it's Made | Example | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Language | How it's Written | IPA Sound | Meaning | ||
| ʡ | Voiceless pharyngeal stop (like a quick "pop" deep in the throat) | Aghul | йагьІ | [jaʡ] | 'center' |
| ʜ | Voiceless pharyngeal trill (like a rolled "r" sound, but in the throat) | хІач | [ʜatʃ] | 'apple' | |
| ʢ | Voiced pharyngeal trill (a voiced, rolled sound from the throat) | Іекв | [ʢakʷ] | 'light' | |
| ħ | Voiceless pharyngeal fricative (a breathy, scraping sound from the throat) | Arabic | حَـر | [ħar] | 'heat' |
| ʕ | Voiced pharyngeal fricative (a voiced, scraping sound from the throat) | عـين | [ʕajn] | 'eye' | |
| ʡ̯ | Pharyngeal flap (a quick tap with the epiglottis) | Dahalo | (a different way to say /ʡ/ between vowels) | ||
| ʕ̞ | Pharyngeal approximant (a softer, less scraping sound from the throat) | Danish | ravn | [ʕ̞ɑʊ̯ˀn] | 'raven' |
| ʡʼ | Pharyngeal ejective (a "popping" sound made by pushing air out) | Dargwa | |||
| ʡ͡ʜ | Voiceless pharyngeal affricate (a stop followed by a trill) | Haida (Hydaburg Dialect) | |||
| ʡ͡ʢ | Voiced pharyngeal affricate (a voiced stop followed by a trill) | ||||
The symbol [ʕ] is often listed as a fricative, but it's usually made as an approximant. This means the air flows out more smoothly, rather than with a strong friction sound. It's hard to tell the difference because the sound is made so deep in the throat.
Where Are Pharyngeal Consonants Found?
Pharyngeal consonants are not found in every language. They are most common in three main parts of the world:
- Middle East and North Africa: You'll find them in Semitic languages like Arabic and Hebrew, and also in Berber languages and Cushitic languages (like Somali).
- Caucasus Region: Languages in the Northwest and Northeast Caucasian families use these sounds.
- British Columbia, Canada: Languages like Haida and some Salishan languages and Wakashan languages have pharyngeal sounds.
There are also a few other languages around the world that have these sounds, such as some Kurdish dialects, Marshallese, and Danish. In Danish, the "r" sound is often made as a pharyngeal approximant.
These sounds were not always well-understood by linguists. The IPA only officially recognized the difference between some pharyngeal sounds in 1989. This shows how much we are still learning about the amazing variety of sounds in human languages!
See also
In Spanish: Consonante faríngea para niños
- Pharyngealization
- Strident vowel
- Ayin
- Heth
- Guttural
