Which IPA symbol represents the voiceless glottal fricative?

Master the elements of phonetics and phonology. Study with interactive questions on speech sounds, articulatory features, and developmental stages to excel in your learning journey!

Multiple Choice

Which IPA symbol represents the voiceless glottal fricative?

Explanation:
The voiceless glottal fricative is produced with air passing through the glottis (the vocal folds are spread apart) without vibrating the vocal folds, creating a turbulent, hiss-like sound. In IPA, that sound is written as /h/. Its place of articulation is glottal, its manner is a fricative, and it is voiceless, which is why /h/ fits exactly. The other sounds are fricatives but with different places or voicing: /s/ is an alveolar voiceless fricative, /ʃ/ is a post-alveolar voiceless fricative, and /z/ is an alveolar voiced fricative.

The voiceless glottal fricative is produced with air passing through the glottis (the vocal folds are spread apart) without vibrating the vocal folds, creating a turbulent, hiss-like sound. In IPA, that sound is written as /h/. Its place of articulation is glottal, its manner is a fricative, and it is voiceless, which is why /h/ fits exactly.

The other sounds are fricatives but with different places or voicing: /s/ is an alveolar voiceless fricative, /ʃ/ is a post-alveolar voiceless fricative, and /z/ is an alveolar voiced fricative.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Examzify

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy