A retroflex nasal click is a rare click consonant. In practical orthography, an ad hoc symbol is used for the retroflex clicks; a nasal click with a velar rear articulation is or , commonly abbreviated to , or . The implicit symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet is or , abbreviated , or . Linguists who prefer the old IPA letters use the analogous Doke convention of or , abbreviated , or . For a click with a uvular rear articulation, the equivalents are , and . Sometimes the accompanying letter comes after the click letter, e.g. or ; this may be a simple orthographic choice, or it may imply a difference in the relative timing of the releases.
Features Features of a retroflex nasal click:
Occurrence Retroflex nasal clicks are only attested in two languages, Central !Kung and Damin.
Language Word IPA Meaning Central !Kung Damin rnǃrn!u = (fresh) water
Glottalized alveolar nasal click
All Khoisan languages have glottalized nasal clicks. These are formed by closing the glottis so that the click is pronounced in silence; however, any preceding vowel will be nasalized.
Language Word IPA Meaning Notes Central !Kung
References