Postalveolar click - Definition and Overview

IPA - Unicode	ǃ
IPA - image
X-SAMPA	!\
Kirshenbaum	S!
Sound sample

The postalveolar click is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ǃ, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is !\. Features of this consonant:

• Its manner of articulation is click, which means it is produced with two articulatory closures in the oral cavity. The pocket of air enclosed between the two closures is rarefied by a "sucking" action of the tongue. The release of the more forward closure produces the 'click' sound.
• Its place of articulation is postalveolar which means it is articulated with the tip of the tongue between the alveolar ridge and the palate, but closer to the alveolar ridge than for alveolo-palatal consonants.
• It is an oral consonant, which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth.
• It is a central consonant, which means it is produced by allowing the airstream to flow over the middle of the tongue, rather than the sides.
• The airstream mechanism is velaric egressive, which means it is produced by movement of mouth air by action of the tongue, rather than air from the glottis or the lungs.