Glottalized

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by a speech sound that involves a complete closure of the vocal cords, typically producing a type of consonant
2. Referring to a phonetic feature where the production of a sound is modified by the constriction of the glottis
3. Describing a linguistic phenomenon where vocal cord closure enhances or alters the sound quality of spoken words

Etymology: "Glottalized" is built from "glottal," which comes from Greek "glottis," meaning "tongue" or, more specifically, the part of the throat where the vocal cords sit. The Greek word gave the anatomical term "glottis" in the early modern period, and "glottal" followed as the adjective for anything relating to it. The sense of the vocal folds as the "tongue" of the larynx is a nice piece of anatomical metaphor: the glottis is named for its tongue-like shape. The suffix "-ize" (spelled "-ise" in British English) turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make or treat in a certain way," and the past participle "-ed" then makes it an adjective. So "glottalized" literally means "made glottal," which fits the phonetic sense: a sound is glottalized when the glottis constricts during its production. Linguists use the term for sounds such as the glottal stop in many English accents, where the vocal folds close briefly before the sound is released.