implosivo

Implosivo is a term used in linguistics to describe a type of consonant sound. Specifically, it refers to a speech sound produced by a consonant closure followed by an inward movement of the air stream. This is in contrast to explosive or plosive consonants, which are characterized by an outward burst of air. In many languages, implosives are relatively rare compared to plosives.

The production of an implosive typically involves lowering the larynx while the vocal tract is closed at some point. This lowering of the larynx creates a lower pressure within the mouth than the atmospheric pressure outside. When the closure is released, air rushes inward, causing the characteristic implosive sound. The most common implosives are bilabial, dental, and velar.

Examples of languages that feature implosive consonants include Sindhi, Luo, and Hausa. The symbol for the voiced bilabial implosive in the International Phonetic Alphabet is ɓ, for the voiced dental implosive it is ɗ, and for the voiced velar implosive it is ɠ. While voiced implosives are more common, voiceless implosives also exist in some languages, though they are much rarer. The study of implosives is important for understanding the phonetic diversity of human languages.