debuccalization
Articulation moves throatward
Debuccalization is a process in which a consonant sound loses its articulation in the mouth and becomes a glottal sound, typically an h or a glottal stop.
This happens naturally in many languages and dialects—for example, when speakers pronounce "water" with a catch in the throat instead of a full t sound.
The term comes from the Latin word for mouth, reflecting that the sound moves from the oral cavity to the throat.
Becoming less strong
- aspirationStrong desire for achievement
- glottalOf the throat opening
- fricativeConsonant with audible friction
- phonemeMinimal distinctive sound unit
articulation · spirantization · elision · reduction · voiceless · laryngeal · deletion · assimilation
Vocal cord opening
- oral cavityMouth's interior chamber
- tongueOral muscle for taste
- velumMuscular mouth membrane
- larynxSpeech-producing throat organ
pharynx · airflow · obstruction · vocal tract · constriction · aspiration · release · closure
Ancient Roman language
- SpanishLanguage of Iberia
- AndalusianOf southern Spain
- GreekOf Athenian origin
- Proto-GermanicHypothetical common ancestor language
diachronic · dialect · Romance languages · reconstruction · etymology · comparative · Old English · vernacular
weakening
Becoming less strong
- aspirationStrong desire for achievement
- glottalOf the throat opening
- fricativeConsonant with audible friction
phoneme · articulation · spirantization · elision · reduction · voiceless · laryngeal · deletion · assimilation · phonetics
glottis
Vocal cord opening
- oral cavityMouth's interior chamber
- tongueOral muscle for taste
- velumMuscular mouth membrane
larynx · pharynx · airflow · obstruction · vocal tract · constriction · aspiration · release · closure · labial
Latin
Ancient Roman language
- SpanishLanguage of Iberia
- AndalusianOf southern Spain
- GreekOf Athenian origin
Proto-Germanic · diachronic · dialect · Romance languages · reconstruction · etymology · comparative · Old English · vernacular · Iberian
- lenitionweakening, spirantization, flapping, tapping
- sound changesassimilation, elision, deletion, voicing, nasalization
debuccalizationstrengthening
Increasing power or solidity
hardening · gemination · tensing · aspiration