glottal stop

American  

noun

Phonetics.

1. a plosive consonant whose occlusion and release are accomplished chiefly at the glottis, as in the Scottish articulation of the t- sound of little, bottle, etc.

2. a stop consonant, without release, having glottal occlusion as a secondary articulation, as in yep for yes, nope for no.

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glottal stop British  

noun

1. a plosive speech sound produced as the sudden onset of a vowel in several languages, such as German, by first tightly closing the glottis and then allowing the air pressure to build up in the trachea before opening the glottis, causing the air to escape with force

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Etymology

Origin of glottal stop

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Every glottal stop in Rebekah del Rio's "Llorando," the Spanish rendition of Roy Orbison's "Crying" performed in Club Silencio, was punctuated by the sounds of some dude drifting in and out of consciousness.

From Salon • Jul. 3, 2023

But Garcia’s intra-line breaks feel more pronounced than commas; I hear them almost the way I hear Notley’s quotation marks, a mental glottal stop; a visual fake punch to make you flinch.

From New York Times • Dec. 29, 2020

As a Briton going to shows on Broadway, may I add what a fun surprise it is to hear, in two different productions, the British glottal stop?

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2013

Unlike many politicians, he talks to those who come to see him in exactly the same way as he speaks to, say, his special adviser; not for him the phony glottal stop.

From The Guardian • Sep. 29, 2012

The only difficulty is the glottal stop, the constriction of the throat that occurs when someone with a classic Brooklyn accent pronounces "bottle."

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann