Voiceless uvular implosive

IPA Unicode 0x02A0

Voiceless uvular implosive is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. It is characterized by its place of articulation at the uvula, which is the small fleshly bump hanging at the back of the throat, and by its manner of articulation, which is implosive. This means that the sound is produced by pulling air inward by the glottis while articulating the consonant, rather than expelling air outward as in most sounds. The voiceless aspect indicates that the vocal cords do not vibrate during the articulation of this sound.

Characteristics

The voiceless uvular implosive is a rare sound across languages and has a symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), though it is not widely used. Its articulation is unique in that it combines a rear place of articulation with an implosive manner, which is more commonly associated with sounds produced at the front of the mouth.

Articulation

To articulate this sound, the back part of the tongue makes contact with the uvula, and rather than pushing air out, the speaker simultaneously lowers the larynx to create a slight vacuum and draws air inward. This action is voiceless, meaning the vocal cords do not vibrate during the production of the sound.

Occurrence

The voiceless uvular implosive is extremely rare and may not be present as a phoneme in any known language. It is more likely to be encountered as an allophone or in very specific linguistic contexts. The rarity of this sound can be attributed to the complex coordination required to produce an implosive articulation at the uvula without vocal cord vibration.

See also

• Implosive consonant
• Uvular consonant
• Voiceless consonant
• International Phonetic Alphabet