pharyngealization

Pharyngealization is a phonetic and phonological process in which the pharyngeal area of the vocal tract is constricted as a secondary articulation alongside the primary articulation of a sound. It is produced by retracting the tongue root and narrowing the pharyngeal cavity, yielding a distinctive, sometimes “tense” or resonant voice quality. This secondary articulation can affect both consonants and vowels.

In consonants, pharyngealization creates pharyngealized or emphatic consonants, which accompany a retracted tongue root and altered pharyngeal resonance. In vowels, pharyngealization produces pharyngealized vowels, which are articulated with constriction in the pharyngeal area and often sound more back or tense compared with their non-pharyngealized counterparts. The effect on vowels is typically described as a change in quality rather than a separate segment.

Pharyngealization is phonologically contrastive in some languages, while in others it is an allophonic or historical feature. It is well known in the Afroasiatic language family, particularly in Arabic, where emphatic consonants are associated with pharyngealized vowel quality and related articulatory patterns. Across languages, analyses differ: some treat pharyngealization as a distinct secondary articulation, while others emphasize its perceptual consequences or historical origins.

Transcription commonly marks pharyngealization with diacritics or alternate symbols to indicate the secondary articulation on a consonant or vowel symbol.