1 Answers
U+01C0 ǀ LATIN LETTER DENTAL CLICK U+01C1 ǁ LATIN LETTER LATERAL CLICK U+01C2 ǂ LATIN LETTER ALVEOLAR CLICK U+01C3 ǃ LATIN LETTER RETROFLEX CLICK
Click consonants, or clicks, are speech sounds that occur as consonants in many languages of Southern Africa and in three languages of East Africa. Examples familiar to English-speakers are the tut-tut or tsk! tsk! used to express disapproval or pity, the tchick! used to spur on a horse, and the clip-clop! sound children make with their tongue to imitate a horse trotting.
Anatomically, clicks are obstruents articulated with two closures in the mouth, one forward and one at the back. The enclosed pocket of air is rarefied by a sucking action of the tongue. The forward closure is then released, producing what may be the loudest consonants in the language, although in some languages such as Hadza and Sandawe, clicks can be more subtle and may even be mistaken for ejectives.