Glottisk

Glottisk is an adjective used in anatomy and linguistics to denote relation to the glottis, the opening between the vocal cords in the larynx. The term is used to describe structures, processes or sounds associated with this part of the vocal apparatus.

Anatomically, the glottis consists of the vocal folds (cords) and the space between them. The glottal aperture changes shape during breathing and voice production. When the vocal folds come together, they can build subglottal pressure for phonation; when they separate, air passes through, producing sound. The size and tension of the glottis influence voice quality, pitch and the manner of phonation, including modal voice, creaky voice and harsh or breathy voice.

In phonetics and phonology, glottisk describes sounds produced with the glottis or involving glottal constriction. The glottal stop, represented by [ʔ], is a consonant found in many languages and can occur as a phoneme or an allophone. The glottal fricative, often transcribed as [h], is another glottal sound. Glottalization refers to the process or quality where a sound is produced with partial or complete closure of the glottis, which can affect consonants or vowels—vowels preceding or interleaved with a glottal stop may take creaky or glottalized qualities. Some languages have phonemic glottal stops or glottalized vowels as part of their phonemic inventory, while in others glottalization is a social or dialectal feature, often linked to word boundaries or emphasis.

The term glottisk is primarily used in Swedish-language linguistic and anatomical discourse, drawing on the Latin-origin root glottis for the glottis. It serves to distinguish phenomena related to the glottal region from other parts of the vocal tract.