Laryngeals

Laryngeals are a class of consonantal sounds produced with constriction in the larynx, typically at the glottis. In phonetic terms, they are distinguished from pulmonic consonants by the place of articulation in the glottic region and by their phonation properties. The inventory commonly includes the glottal stop [ʔ], a glottal stop-like consonant, and glottal fricatives such as [h]. Some descriptions allow a range of realizations, from stops to fricatives or voicing contrasts, depending on language and phonetic analysis.

The term is closely associated with historical and theoretical linguistics, especially the laryngeal theory of Proto-Indo-European (PIE), which posits three laryngeal phonemes commonly labeled H1, H2, and H3. The exact articulatory realization of these laryngeals is debated; they are often reconstructed as glottal stops or fricatives, or as features that color adjacent vowels. A key point is that laryngeals may not survive as independent consonants in descendant languages, but their influence can persist in vowel length, quality, or other phonotactic patterns.

In cross-linguistic and historical perspectives, laryngeals are found or reconstructed in multiple language families. Some languages preserve distinct laryngeal sounds (such as a glottal stop or [h]), while in others the sounds have been lost but left traces in vowels or syllable structure. The study of laryngeals informs broader theories of vowel length, phonation, and historical sound change, and continues to shape reconstruction work in Indo-European and related families.