Voiced glottal fricative

The voiced glottal fricative, sometimes called breathy-voiced glottal transition, is a type of sound used in some spoken languages which patterns like a fricative or approximant consonant phonologically, but often lacks the usual phonetic characteristics of a consonant. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is Template:Angbr IPA, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is h\.

In many languages, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} has no inherent place or manner of articulation. Thus, it has been described as a breathy-voiced counterpart of the following vowel from a phonetic point of view. However, its characteristics are also influenced by the preceding vowels and whatever other sounds surround it. Therefore, it can be described as a segment whose only consistent feature is its breathy voice phonation in such languages.<ref name=lagandmad>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> It may have real glottal constriction in a number of languages (such as Finnish<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>), making it a fricative.

Northern Wu languages such as Shanghainese contrast the voiced and voiceless glottal fricatives.<ref>Qian 2003, pp.14-16.</ref> The two glottal fricatives pattern like plosives.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Features

Features of the voiced glottal fricative:

• Its phonation is breathy voiced, or murmured, which means the vocal cords are loosely vibrating, with more air escaping than in a modally voiced sound. It is sometimes referred to as a "voiced h". Strictly speaking this is incorrect, as there is no voicing.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• In some languages, it has the constricted manner of articulation of a fricative. However, in many if not most it is a transitional state of the glottis with no manner of articulation other than its phonation type. Because there is no other constriction to produce friction in the vocal tract, most phoneticians no longer consider {{#invoke:IPA|main}} to be a fricative. True fricatives may have a murmured phonation in addition to producing friction elsewhere. However, the term "fricative" is generally retained for the historical reasons.
• It may have a glottal place of articulation. However, it may have no fricative articulation, making the term glottal mean that it is articulated by the vocal folds, but this is the nature of its phonation rather than a separate articulation. All consonants except for the glottals, and all vowels, have an individual place of articulation in addition to the state of the glottis. As with all other consonants, surrounding vowels influence the pronunciation {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, and accordingly {{#invoke:IPA|main}} has only the place of articulation of these surrounding vowels.

Occurrence

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning	Notes
Afrikaans	Standard	lang}}	main}}	'why'
Azeri	Standard	lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'solid'
Albanian	Northern Tosk<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>	lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'and immediately the traveller'	main}} in connected speech.
Basque	Northeastern dialects<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>	lang}}	main}}	'here'	Can be voiceless Template:IPAblink instead.
Czech		lang}}	main}}	'head'	See Czech phonology
Danish<ref name="gr125">Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>		lang}}	main}}	'I wonder if it has rained.'	main}} between vowels.<ref name="gr125"/> See Danish phonology
Dutch<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>		lang}}	main}}	'hate'	See Dutch phonology
English	Australian<ref name="coxflet">Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>	behind	main}}	'behind'	Allophone of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} between voiced sounds.<ref name="coxflet"/><ref name="roach">Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> See Australian English phonology and English phonology
	Received Pronunciation<ref name="roach"/>		main}}
	Broad South African	hand	main}}	'hand'	Some speakers, only before a stressed vowel.
Estonian		{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	'money'	Allophone of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} between voiced sounds. See Estonian phonology and Finnish phonology
Finnish
French	Quebec<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>	lang}}	main}}	'to eat'	Limited to a minority of speakers. Can also be realized as a voiceless Template:IPAblink.
Hebrew		Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Audio-IPA	'fast'	main}} between voiced sounds. See Modern Hebrew phonology
Hindustani		lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'am'	See Hindustani phonology
Hungarian	Some speakers	lang}}	main}}	'so'	main}}. Occurs as voiceless {{#invoke:IPA|main}} for other speakers. See Hungarian phonology
Japanese	Some speakers	少し話して / sukoshi hanashiteTemplate:Sfnp	main}}	'speak a little bit'
Indonesian	Some speakers	bahan	main}}	'ingredient'
Kalabari<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>		hóín	main}}	'introduction'
Korean		lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'travel'	main}} between voiced sounds. See Korean phonology
Limburgish<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref><ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref>		lang}}	main}}	'heart'	The example word is from the Maastrichtian dialect. See Maastrichtian dialect phonology
Lithuanian		lang}}	main}}	'humour'	Often pronounced instead of [ɣ]. See Lithuanian phonology
Marathi		lang}}	main}}	'garland'
Odia		lang}}/haḷa	main}}	'plough'
Nepali		lang}}	main}}	'solution'	See Nepali phonology
Parkari Koli		lang}}	main}}	'desolate, deserted'
Polish	Podhale dialect	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	'fire hydrant'	Contrasts with Template:IPAslink. Standard Polish possesses only {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. See Polish phonology
	Kresy dialect
Portuguese	Many Brazilian dialects	lang}}	main}}	'this youth' (m.)	Allophone of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are marginal sounds to many speakers, particularly out of Brazil. See Portuguese phonology and guttural R
	Many speakers	lang}}	main}}	'chopsticks'
	Some Brazilian<ref>Template:Cite</ref><ref>Template:Cite</ref> dialects	lang}}	main}}	'same'	main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (depending on dialect) in the syllable coda. Might also be deleted.
	Cearense dialect<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> || {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} || {{#invoke:IPA|main}}|| 'people' || Debuccalized from {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
	Mineiro dialect	lang}}	main}}	'to sleep'	main}}.
Punjabi		lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'air'
Riffian Berber		lang}}	main}}	'to go down'
Romanian	Transylvanian dialectsTemplate:Sfnp	lang}}	main}}	'coat'	Corresponds to Template:IPAblink in standard Romanian. See Romanian phonology
Sanskrit		हस्त / hasta	main}}	'hand'	See Sanskrit phonology
Silesian		hangrys	main}}	'gooseberry'
Slovak		{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	Template:Audio-IPA	'mountain'	See Slovak phonology
Slovene	Littoral dialects		{{#invoke:IPA|main}}		This is a general feature of all Slovene dialects west of the Škofja Loka–Planina line. Corresponds to {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in other dialects. See Slovene phonology
	Rovte dialects
	Rosen Valley dialect
Sylheti		lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'dried fish'
Telugu		lang}}	main}}	'Consonant'
Ukrainian		lang}}	main}}	'voice'	Also described as pharyngeal Template:IPAblinkTemplate:Citation needed. See Ukrainian phonology
Wu	Shanghainese	lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'language'	See Northern Wu phonology
	Suzhounese	lang}} / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	main}}	'fourth day of a Western month'
Zulu		lang}}	main}}	'horse'

See also

• Creaky-voiced glottal approximant

References

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External links

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