Other airstream mechanisms are used in other languages to produce sounds called ejectives, implosives, and click. Instead of lung air, the body of air in the mouth can be moved. When this air is sucked in instead of flowing out, ingressive sounds, such as implosives and clicks, are produced. When the air in the mouth is pushed out, ejectives are produced by a glottalic airstream mechanism, whereas clicks are produced by a velaric airstream mechanism.
Figure 6.1 The vocal tract and places of articulation: (1) bilabial (2) labiodental (3) interdental (4) alveolar (5) (alveo) palatal (6) velar (7) uvular (8) glottal.
Ejectives are found in many Native American, African, and Caucasian languages. Implosives also occur in the languages of the Americas and throughout Africa, India, Pakistan. Clicks occur in the Southern Bantu languages such as Xhosa and Zulu, and in the languages spoken by the Bushmen and Khoikhoi. A detailed description of these different airstream mechanisms goes beyond the requirements of an introductory text. They are mentioned to show that sounds can be clssified according to the airstream mechanism used to produce them. In the rest of this chapter we will discuss only sounds produced by a pulmonic egressive airstream mechanism.
