So this video explains clearly how to do the 3 Xhosa clicks at the same time as each vowel sound. The Wikipedia page also shows clearly how to produce those 3 clicks as well, independent of any vowel sounds. So just c [ǀ]
, x [ǁ]
, and q [ǃ]
.
However, then I listen to the alphabet here in this video, and they get to "c" and it sounds nothing like the first two links above as they sound out the [ǀ]
. I notice that the Wikipedia for Xhosa lists 18 clicks (instead of just the 3 demonstrated in the first two links):
[kǀʼ] c
[kǀʰ] ch
[ɡ̊ǀʱ] gc
[ŋǀ] nc
[ŋǀʱ] ngc
[ŋǀˀ] nkc
[kǁʼ] x
[kǁʰ] xh
[ɡ̊ǁʱ] gx
[ŋǁ] nx
[ŋǁʱ] ngx
[ŋǁˀ] nkx
[kǃʼ] q
[kǃʰ] qh
[ɡ̊ǃʱ] gq
[ŋǃ] nq
[ŋǃʱ] ngq
[ŋǃˀ] nkq
Connecting [kǀʼ] c
to the alphabet video, it seems like that sound is a [g]
and the click [ǀ]
at the same time or something, but I can't quite tell. Maybe they are doing a [ɡ̊ǀ]
sound. For the first part of the question, wondering if one could identify what sound that is, and if I am correct in my understanding that they are to be pronounced at the same time (not sure how this is possible atm so probably not doing it right yet).
For the second part, I'm wondering in general how to make the rest of the click sounds. Basically there are 3 prefixes in the IPA version, [k]
, [ɡ̊]
, and [ŋ]
. But I'm not sure if they should actually occur before or during the subsequently annotated click sound, e.g. [ŋǀ]
. Wondering if one could clarify if it goes before or during the click. So then I just want to know if it works like this:
[kǀʼ] c = k + click sound at same time
[kǀʰ] ch = k + click sound at the same time, aspirated at the end
[ɡ̊ǀʱ] gc = silent g + click sound at same time, aspirated at the end
[ŋǀ] nc = humming ŋ + click sound at same time
[ŋǀʱ] ngc = humming ŋ + click sound at same time, aspirated at the end
[ŋǀˀ] nkc = humming ŋ + click sound at same time, followed by glottal stop before next sound
The tricky part about these 18 clicks is that the k/g/ŋ sounds are all produced by closing the back of the mouth, while the clicks occur by closing the front of the mouth, so it doesn't seem possible at first, it's like "I can only close my mouth in one place not two" sort of thing. I can do the clicks with the prolonged vowel sounds no problem, just not what the IPA is showing with the other 18 versions.