Voiceless velar affricate

A voiceless velar affricate is a special sound used in some languages. It is made by combining two sounds together at the back of the mouth. This sound is written with special symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet: ⟨k͡x⟩ and ⟨k͜x⟩. Sometimes the line connecting the symbols is left out, and it is written as ⟨kx⟩.

Some languages have sounds very similar to the voiceless velar affricate, but they are made slightly more forward in the mouth. These are called voiceless pre-velar or post-palatal affricates. They are not as far forward as another sound called the voiceless palatal affricate.

Other languages have sounds made slightly further back in the mouth than the voiceless velar affricate. These are called voiceless post-velar affricates. They are not as far back as a sound called the voiceless uvular affricate.

Features

The voiceless velar affricate is a special sound used in some languages. It is made by stopping the airflow and then letting it flow through a narrow channel, which makes a rough sound. This sound is made at the back of the mouth using the soft palate and the tongue. It is made without any vibration of the vocal cords, so it is a quiet sound. The air for this sound comes only from the lungs, using muscles between the ribs and in the belly.

Occurrence

Language		Word	IPA	Meaning
Cimbrian	Luserna dialect	khes	[kxɛːʂ]	'cheese'
Cimbrian	Sette Comuni dialect	khèmman	[kxɛː.mɐn]	'to come'
Dutch	Orsmaal-Gussenhoven dialect	blik	[ˈblɪk͡x]	'plate'
Modern Greek	Ancient Greek borrowings	σάκχαρο	[ˈsak͡xaro]	'(blood) sugar'
English	Broad Cockney	cab	[ˈk͡xɛˑb̥]	'cab'
	New Zealand		[ˈk͡xɛˑb̥]
	North Wales		[ˈk͡xaˑb̥]
	Received Pronunciation
	Scouse
German	Standard Austrian	Kübel	[ˈk͡xyːbœl]	'bucket'
	Bavarian dialects of Tyrol	Kchind	[ˈk͡xind̥]	'child'
	Swiss dialects and Alemannic of southern Baden-Württemberg	Sack	[z̥ɑk͡x]	'bag'
Korean		크다 (keuda)	[k͡xɯ̽da]^ⓘ	'big'
Lakota		lakhóta	[laˈk͡xota]	'Lakota'
Navajo		kǫʼ	[k͡xõʔ˩]	'fire'
Slovene		sikh	[ˈs̪îːk͡x]	'Sikh'
Xhosa
!Xóõ		[ǁ͡kxʼâã]		'grass'

The voiceless velar affricate is a sound found in some languages. It is made by combining a special kind of "k" sound with a "ch" sound. This sound does not occur in English, but you can hear it in languages like German, Russian, and Mandarin. It’s a unique sound that makes these languages interesting to study!

Features

Occurrence

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