| Egressive | |
|---|---|
| ↑◌ | |
| IPA number | 662 |
| Encoding | |
| Unicode(hex) | U+2191 |
In human speech,egressive sounds are sounds in which theair stream is created by pushing air out through the mouth or nose. The three types of egressive sounds arepulmonic egressive (from thelungs),glottalic egressive (from theglottis), andlingual (velaric)egressive (from thetongue). The opposite of an egressive sound is aningressive sound, in which the airstream flows inward through the mouth or nose.
Pulmonic egressive sounds are those in which the air stream is created by thelungs,ribs, anddiaphragm. The majority of sounds in most languages, such as/b/, are both pulmonic and egressive. Pulmonic egressive sounds are found in all spoken languages.[1]
Glottalic egressive sounds are known asejectives.
The lingual egressive, also known asvelaric egressive, involves a double closure similar to that of thelingual ingressive sounds known asclicks, but with airflow in the opposite direction. With thevelum closed, the speaker forces air out of the mouth using either the tongue or cheeks, as in the French expression of dismissal. While not known to be used for normal vocabulary in any human language,[2] apart from the extinct Australian ritual languageDamin, a variation of this airstream mechanism is known to musicians as part ofcircular breathing.