Fact Check: Are ejectives voiced?

Are Ejectives Voiced?

The claim under scrutiny is whether ejective consonants can be voiced. Ejectives are a type of consonant produced using a glottalic egressive airstream mechanism, which involves a closure at the glottis. This claim raises questions about the nature of ejectives and their phonetic characteristics, particularly concerning voicing.

What We Know

1. Definition of Ejectives: Ejective consonants are typically defined as voiceless sounds produced by pushing air out using the glottis, without using the vocal cords. This is a widely accepted definition in phonetics 135.

2. Voicing Mechanism: For a sound to be voiced, the vocal cords must vibrate. However, the mechanism of producing ejectives involves closing the glottis, which physically prevents vocal fold vibration 56. This suggests that traditional ejectives cannot be voiced.

3. Phonological Context: Some languages may have glottalized sonorants that can be voiced and may phonologically pattern with ejectives. However, these are distinct from the typical ejective consonants 12.

4. Ejective-Contour Clicks: There are instances of ejective-contour clicks that may involve voicing, but these are not the standard ejective consonants and represent a more complex interaction of phonetic features 4.

5. Linguistic Consensus: The prevailing view in the linguistic community is that voiced ejectives are impossible due to the physiological constraints of their production 568.

Analysis

The sources consulted provide a range of perspectives on the claim regarding voiced ejectives.

• Wikipedia and Simple Wikipedia: Both provide foundational definitions of ejective consonants, emphasizing their voiceless nature. Wikipedia is generally reliable, but it can be edited by anyone, which may introduce inaccuracies 13.

• Academic Sources: The University of Washington's PDF on ejective typology offers a more nuanced examination of ejectives in specific languages, but it does not directly address the claim of voiced ejectives 2. This source is credible due to its academic nature but may not cover all aspects of the claim.

• Linguistic Stack Exchange: This source discusses the impossibility of voiced ejectives, citing the need for vocal fold vibration, which is incompatible with the glottal closure required for ejectives. While Stack Exchange can provide valuable insights, it is a forum where answers can vary in reliability and should be taken with caution 5.

• Linguistics Blogs and Britannica: These sources reiterate the voiceless characteristic of ejectives and provide context on their use in various languages. However, blogs may reflect personal interpretations rather than established linguistic consensus 8910.

The consensus across multiple credible sources indicates that ejectives are fundamentally voiceless due to their production mechanism. However, the existence of glottalized sonorants and specific linguistic phenomena may complicate this understanding.

Conclusion

Verdict: False

The claim that ejective consonants can be voiced is false. The evidence indicates that ejectives are defined as voiceless sounds produced through a glottalic egressive airstream, which inherently prevents vocal fold vibration necessary for voicing. The physiological constraints of their production, as supported by multiple credible sources, reinforce this conclusion.

It is important to note that while some languages may feature glottalized sonorants that can be voiced, these are distinct from traditional ejective consonants and do not support the claim in question.

However, the discussion surrounding ejectives and their phonetic characteristics is complex, and the nuances of specific linguistic contexts may not be fully captured in this analysis.

Readers should remain aware of the limitations in the available evidence and the potential for ongoing research in this area. It is advisable to critically evaluate information and consult multiple sources when exploring linguistic claims.

Sources

1. Ejective consonant - Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejective_consonant
2. Ejective Typology: The Case of Lushootseed. University of Washington. Retrieved from https://linguistics.washington.edu/sites/linguistics/files/documents/research/icsnl56_kye_final.pdf
3. Ejective consonant - Simple English Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejective_consonant
4. Ejective-contour click. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejective-contour_click
5. Why are voiced ejectives impossible? Linguistics Stack Exchange. Retrieved from https://linguistics.stackexchange.com/questions/44320/why-are-voiced-ejectives-impossible
6. The IPA: Non-pulmonic consonants. linʛuischtick. Retrieved from https://linguischtick.wordpress.com/2016/03/15/the-ipa-non-pulmonic-consonants/
7. Ejectives - (Intro to Linguistics). Fiveable Library. Retrieved from https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/introduction-linguistics/ejectives#:~:text=They%20are%20marked%20in%20the,most%20commonly%20they%20are%20voiceless.
8. Ejective | linguistics | Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/ejective
9. Ryan's linguistics blog: Ejectives. Retrieved from https://linguistlessons.blogspot.com/2010/06/ejectives.html
10. Ejective Consonants: A Unique Feature in Language Diversity. Retrieved from https://cards.algoreducation.com/en/content/m31i6t2t/ejective-consonants-linguistics