IPA: x
From UniLang Wiki
The consonant [x] is voiceless because the vocal cords do not vibrate to produce it. It is velar because the back of the tongue is raised to approach the soft palate or velum. And the most interesting fact about this sound is that it is a fricative sound. It is a fricative consonant because the articulatory organ forms some sort of narrowing in the point of articulation, thus letting the air out through a reduced opening without interruption, producing a friction sound or a puff-like sound.
It is written in different ways – in:
- German, Dutch, Polish, Czech, Lithuanian, Slovak, Welsh as ch,
- Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Cheyenne, Kurdish as x,
- Spanish, Basque, Aymara as j,
- Portuguese (certain accents/ pronunciation) as r- , -rr-,
- Breton as C’h,
- Dutch, Spanish, Afrikaans as g,
- Polish, Slovene, Latvian as h.
Source: Babel Babble No. 6 - Sounding New - Consonants: voiceless velar fricative
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