emphatics

Emphatics is a term in phonology for a class of consonants that are distinguished from their non-emphatic counterparts by a secondary articulation, giving them a marked or “emphatic” quality. In many languages this secondary articulation is pharyngealization or velarization; some systems also involve glottalization or epilaryngeal constriction. Emphatic consonants typically contrast with nearby plain consonants and can affect the surrounding vowels as well.

Geographic distribution and realization vary by language. Emphatic consonants are especially characteristic of Afro-Asiatic languages (notably some Semitic languages such as Arabic), and they also appear in certain Caucasian, Nilo-Saharan, and Khoisan languages. In Arabic, the emphatic series has historically been described as contrasted with a non-emphatic set and is associated with pharyngealization or epilaryngeal constriction; in other languages, the same phonemic distinction may be realized as velarized or glottalized consonants instead of true pharyngealized ones.

Phonological effects and behavior are diverse. The presence of emphatics often correlates with vowel changes, such as shifts in height or backness, due to the secondary articulation. Emphatics can influence syllable structure, phonotactics, and assimilation patterns. Historical linguistics sometimes reconstruct emphatic consonants for proto-languages in Afro-Asiatic and related families, reflecting longstanding phoneme-vowel interactions.

Notes: The term emphasizes a traditional classification; modern phonetic descriptions focus on precise secondary articulations (pharyngealization, velarization, glottalization) rather than the broad label alone.