# Back-released click > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Back-released_click > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Back-released_click.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-released_click > Source revision: 1357205837 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Consonantal sound This article is about click consonants initiated with a velar release. For velar vs uvular clicks with a more forward release, see [Click consonant § Complex clicks](/source/Click_consonant#Complex_clicks). Back-released click ʞ ʞ̃̊ IPA number 291 Encoding Entity (decimal) ʞ Unicode (hex) U+029E Image Velar-released click ᵏʞ ᵑ̊ʞ Uvular-released click 𐞥ʞ ᶰ̥ʞ A **back-released click**, or more precisely a **velar-released** or **uvular-released click**, is a [click consonant](/source/Click_consonant) found in [paralinguistic](/source/Paralinguistic) use in languages across Africa, such as [Wolof](/source/Wolof_language).[1][2] The tongue is in a similar position to other click articulations, such as an [alveolar click](/source/Alveolar_click), and like other clicks, the airstream mechanism is [lingual](/source/Lingual_airstream). However, unlike other clicks, the salient sound is produced by releasing the rear (velar or uvular) closure of the tongue rather than the front closure. Consequently, the air that fills the vacuum comes from behind the tongue, from the nasal cavity and the throat. Velar- and uvular-released clicks are always voiceless and typically nasal ([ᵑ̊ʞ] or [ᶰ̥ʞ]), as nasal airflow is required for a reasonably loud production. ## IPA symbol withdrawn In 1921, the [International Phonetic Association](/source/International_Phonetic_Association) (IPA) adopted [Daniel Jones](/source/Daniel_Jones_(phonetician))' symbol ⟨ʞ⟩, a turned lowercase K, for the [palatal clicks](/source/Palatal_click) of [Khoekhoe](/source/Khoekhoe_language).[3] Jones seems to have first applied the label "velar" in an IPA publication in 1928;[4] presumably he had analyzed these clicks as velar when he chose the symbol. (See [*Anthropos* phonetic alphabet](/source/Anthropos_phonetic_alphabet).) At the time, little was known about the articulation of clicks, and different authors used different labels for the same sounds – Doke, for example, analyzed the same clicks as alveolar.[5] The last mention of the "velar" clicks was in the 1949 *Principles*. It was omitted when the other three click letters were moved into the symbol chart in 1951, and was not mentioned again. An actual forward-released velar click, analogous to the other articulations of click consonants in the languages of southern Africa, is not possible. A click is articulated with two closures of the tongue or lips. The rear articulation of all clicks is velar or uvular, and the families of dental, alveolar, palatal, and bilabial clicks are defined by the front closure, which is released to cause the influx of air from the front of the mouth that identifies the type of click. A forward closure in the velar region would leave no room for the air pocket that generates that influx of air.[6] From 2004 to 2015 the unused letter was picked up by the [extensions to the IPA](/source/Extensions_to_the_IPA) to mark a [velodorsal](/source/Velodorsal) articulation in [speech pathology](/source/Speech_pathology).[7] However, velar clicks are possible in the sense that the release sequence of the tongue closures can be reversed: in [paralinguistic](/source/Paralinguistic) use in languages such as Wolof, it is the rear (often velar) closure rather than front one that is released to produce the sound, and such clicks have also been called 'velar'.[8] The letter ⟨ʞ⟩ has been used for such sounds in the literature (though not by the IPA itself), and ⟨ʞ⟩ was consequently dropped from the extIPA to avoid confusion with that usage. An advanced or retracted diacritic may be used, ⟨ʞ᫈⟩ or ⟨ʞ᫢⟩, to specify a pre-velar or post-velar/uvular release. ## Production Lionnet describes the clicks as follows: Like any other click, [ʞ] is produced with an ingressive lingual (velaric) airstream: the oral cavity is closed in two places: at the velum and at the front of the mouth. Air rarefaction in the intra-oral cavity is achieved mostly through tongue body lowering. However, instead of the front closure, the velar closure is released, allowing air to rush into the mouth from the back, either from the nasal cavity or from the post-velar cavity if the velo-pharyngeal port is closed.[8] Velar clicks are produced with closed lips in those languages known to have them. For this reason, it was at first thought that the front articulation was labial.[2] However, the labial closure does not appear to be distinctive. Although articulatory measurements have not been done, it appears that the two relevant articulations are dorsal and coronal: The rear articulation appears to be at the very front of the velum, near the hard palate: [ʞ᫈] (at least in Wolof and Laal), and the front articulation is dental or alveolar. The lips are closed merely because that is their rest position; opening the lips has no effect on the consonant.[8] That is, the setup of a velar click is very much like one of the coronal clicks, [ǀ, ǂ, ǃ], but with the roles of the two closures of the tongue reversed. In Mundang and Kanuri, the rear articulation is said to be uvular and back-velar [ʞ᫢] rather than front-velar. Comparisons between the languages have yet to be done.[8] ## Occurrence Paralinguistic velar clicks are attested from a number of languages in west and central Africa, from Senegal in the west to northern Cameroon and southern Chad in the east. The literature reports at least [Laal](/source/Laal_language), [Mambay](/source/Mambay_language), [Mundang](/source/Mundang_language), and [Kanuri](/source/Kanuri_language) in the east, and [Wolof](/source/Wolof_language) and Mauritanian [Pulaar](/source/Pulaar_language) in the west.[8] In Wolof, a back-released velar click is in [free variation](/source/Free_variation) with a [lateral click](/source/Lateral_click) or an [alveolar click](/source/Alveolar_click). It means 'yes' when used once, and 'I see' or 'I get it' when repeated. It is also used for [back-channeling](/source/Backchannel_(linguistics)).[2] In Laal as well, it is used for "strong agreement" and [back-channeling](/source/Backchannel_(linguistics)), and is in free variation with the lateral click. It appears to have the same two functions in the other languages.[8] ## See also - [Alveolar click](/source/Alveolar_click) - [Bilabial click](/source/Bilabial_click) - [Dental click](/source/Dental_click) - [Lateral click](/source/Lateral_click) - [Palatal click](/source/Palatal_click) - [Retroflex click](/source/Retroflex_click) - [Index of phonetics articles](/source/Index_of_phonetics_articles) - [Click consonant](/source/Click_consonant) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Grenoble_1-0)** Grenoble, Lenore (2014). Plungian, Vladimir; et al. (eds.). ["Verbal gestures: Toward a field-based approach to language description"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309852110). *Language. Constants. Variables: In Memory of A. E. Kibrik*. Saint Petersburg: Aleteija: 105–118. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Grenoble_et_al_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Grenoble_et_al_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Grenoble_et_al_2-2) Grenoble; Martinovic; Baglini (2015). ["Verbal gestures in Wolof"](https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/grenoble/files/2014/06/GrenobleMartinovicBaglini.pdf) (PDF). *Proceedings of the 44th Annual Conference on African Linguistics*. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Association phonétique internationale (1921). [*L'Ecriture phonétique internationale : exposé populaire avec application au français et à plusieurs autres langues*](https://archive.org/details/ecriturephonetiqueinternationale1921) (2nd ed.). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Jones, Daniel](/source/Daniel_Jones_(phonetician)) (1928). "Das System der Association Phonétique Internationale (Weltlautschriftverein)". In Heepe, Martin (ed.). *Lautzeichen und ihre Anwendung in verschiedenen Sprachgebieten*. Berlin: Reichsdruckerei. pp. 18–27. Reprinted in *Le Maître Phonétique* 3, 6 (23), July–September 1928, [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [44704262](https://www.jstor.org/stable/44704262). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Doke, Clement M. (1925) "An outline of the phonetics of the language of the ʗhũ: Bushman of the North-West Kalahari", *Bantu Studies* 2: 129–166. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Pullum, Geoffrey K.; Ladusaw, William A. (2013) [1996]. *[Phonetic Symbol Guide](/source/Phonetic_Symbol_Guide)* (2nd ed.). [University of Chicago Press](/source/University_of_Chicago_Press). p. 101. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-226-92488-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-226-92488-5). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["extIPA Symbols for Disordered Speech"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140722085129/http://www.langsci.ucl.ac.uk/ipa/extIPAChart2008.pdf) (PDF). *www.langsci.ucl.ac.uk*. Archived from [the original](http://www.langsci.ucl.ac.uk/ipa/extIPAChart2008.pdf) (PDF) on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2022. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Lionnet_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Lionnet_8-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Lionnet_8-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Lionnet_8-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Lionnet_8-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Lionnet_8-5) Lionnet, Florian. 2020. "Paralinguistic use of clicks in Chad". In Bonny Sands (ed.), *Click Consonants*, pp. 422-437. Leiden: Brill. v t e International Phonetic Alphabet (chart) IPA topics IPA International Phonetic Association History of the alphabet Extensions for disordered speech (extIPA) Voice Quality Symbols (VoQS) Journal of the IPA (JIPA) Special topics Cursive forms Case variants Obsolete and nonstandard symbols Naming conventions Sinological extensions World Orthography IPA chart for English dialects Encodings ASCII encodings SAMPA X-SAMPA Usenet ASCII-IPA TIPA Phonetic symbols in Unicode IPA number IPA Braille Consonants Pulmonic consonants Place → Labial Coronal Dorsal Laryngeal Manner ↓ Bi­labial Labio­dental Linguo­labial Dental Alveolar Post­alveolar Retro­flex (Alve­olo-)​palatal Velar Uvular Pharyn­geal/epi­glottal Glottal Nasal m̥ m ɱ̊ ɱ n̼ n̪̊ n̪ n̥ n n̠̊ n̠ ɳ̊ ɳ ɲ̊ ɲ ŋ̊ ŋ ɴ̥ ɴ Plosive p b p̪ b̪ t̼ d̼ t̪ d̪ t d ʈ ɖ c ɟ k ɡ q ɢ ʡ ʔ Sibilant affricate t̪s̪ d̪z̪ ts dz t̠ʃ d̠ʒ tʂ dʐ tɕ dʑ Non-sibilant affricate pɸ bβ p̪f b̪v t̪θ d̪ð tɹ̝̊ dɹ̝ t̠ɹ̠̊˔ d̠ɹ̠˔ cç ɟʝ kx ɡɣ qχ ɢʁ ʡʜ ʡʢ ʔh Sibilant fricative s̪ z̪ s z ʃ ʒ ʂ ʐ ɕ ʑ Non-sibilant fricative ɸ β f v θ̼ ð̼ θ ð θ̠ ð̠ ɹ̠̊˔ ɹ̠˔ ɻ̊˔ ɻ˔ ç ʝ x ɣ χ ʁ ħ ʕ h ɦ Approximant β̞ ʋ ð̞ ɹ ɹ̠ ɻ j ɰ ˷ Tap/flap ⱱ̟ ⱱ ɾ̥ ɾ ɽ̊ ɽ ɢ̆ ʡ̮ Trill ʙ̥ ʙ r̥ r r̠ ɽ̊r̥ ɽr ʀ̥ ʀ ʜ ʢ Lateral affricate tɬ dɮ tꞎ d𝼅 c𝼆 ɟʎ̝ k𝼄 ɡʟ̝ Lateral fricative ɬ̪ ɬ ɮ ꞎ 𝼅 𝼆 ʎ̝ 𝼄 ʟ̝ Lateral approximant l̪ l̥ l l̠ ɭ̊ ɭ ʎ̥ ʎ ʟ̥ ʟ ʟ̠ Lateral tap/flap ɺ̥ ɺ 𝼈̊ 𝼈 ʎ̮ ʟ̆ IPA help audio full chart template Symbols to the right in a cell are voiced, to the left are voiceless. Shaded areas denote articulations judged impossible. Non-pulmonic consonants BL LD D A PA RF P V U Implosive Voiced ɓ ɗ ᶑ ʄ ɠ ʛ Voiceless ɓ̥ ɗ̥ ᶑ̊ ʄ̊ ɠ̊ ʛ̥ Ejective Stop pʼ tʼ ʈʼ cʼ kʼ qʼ Affricate p̪fʼ t̪θʼ tsʼ t̠ʃʼ tʂʼ tɕʼ kxʼ qχʼ Fricative ɸʼ fʼ θʼ sʼ ʃʼ ʂʼ ɕʼ xʼ χʼ Lateral affricate tɬʼ c𝼆ʼ k𝼄ʼ q𝼄ʼ Lateral fricative ɬʼ Click (top: velar; bottom: uvular) Tenuis kʘ qʘ kǀ qǀ kǃ qǃ k𝼊 q𝼊 kǂ qǂ Voiced ɡʘ ɢʘ ɡǀ ɢǀ ɡǃ ɢǃ ɡ𝼊 ɢ𝼊 ɡǂ ɢǂ Nasal ŋʘ ɴʘ ŋǀ ɴǀ ŋǃ ɴǃ ŋ𝼊 ɴ𝼊 ŋǂ ɴǂ ʞ Tenuis lateral kǁ qǁ Voiced lateral ɡǁ ɢǁ Nasal lateral ŋǁ ɴǁ IPA help audio full chart template Co-articulated consonants Nasal n͡m Labial–alveolar ɳ͡m Labial–retroflex ŋ͡m Labial–velar Plosive t͡p d͡b Labial–alveolar ʈ͡p ɖ͡b Labial–retroflex k͡p ɡ͡b Labial–velar q͡ʡ Uvular–epiglottal q͡p Labial–uvular Fricative/approximant ɥ̊ ɥ Labialized palatal ʍ w Labialized velar ɧ Sj-sound (variable) Lateral approximant ɫ Velarized alveolar Implosive ɠ̊͜ɓ̥ ɠ͡ɓ Labial–velar Ejective t͡pʼ Labial–alveolar IPA help full chart template Other Voiceless bidental fricative [h̪͆] Voiceless bilabially post-trilled dental stop [t̪ʙ̥] Voiceless upper-pharyngeal plosive [ʡ̟] Voiced upper-pharyngeal plosive [ʡ̟̬] Bilabial percussive [ʬ] Bidental percussive [ʭ] Sublaminal lower-alveolar percussive [¡] Vowels Front Central Back Close i y ɨ ʉ ɯ u Near-close ɪ ʏ ʊ Close-mid e ø ɘ ɵ ɤ o Mid e̞ ø̞ ə ɤ̞ o̞ Open-mid ɛ œ ɜ ɞ ʌ ɔ Near-open æ ɐ Open a ɶ ä ɑ ɒ IPA help audio full chart template Legend: unrounded • rounded --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Back-released click](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-released_click) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-released_click?action=history)). 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