that represents this sound is ⟨ʛ̥ ⟩ or ⟨qʼ↓⟩. A dedicated IPA letter, ⟨ʠ⟩, was withdrawn in 1993.
Features
Its
occlusive, which means it is produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract. Since the consonant is also oral, with no nasal outlet, the airflow is blocked entirely, and the consonant is a plosive
.
Its
uvula
.
Its phonation is voiceless, which means it is produced without vibrations of the vocal cords.
It is an oral consonant, which means air is allowed to escape through the mouth only.
It is a central consonant, which means it is produced by directing the airstream along the center of the tongue, rather than to the sides.
The airstream mechanism is implosive (glottalic ingressive), which means it is produced by pulling air in by pumping the glottis downward. As it is voiceless, the glottis is completely closed, and there is no pulmonic airstream at all.
Occurrence
A voiceless uvular implosive has been claimed for several Mayan languages.
