Ballistic syllable

"Ballistic" syllables are a phonemic distinction in the Otomanguean languages Chinantec and Amuzgo. They have been described as characterized either with increased sub-glottal pressure (Mugele 1982) or with laryngeal abduction (Silverman 1994). The acoustic effect is a fortis release of the consonant, a gradual surge in the intensity of the vowel, followed by a rapid decay in intensity into post-vocalic aspiration. They may thus be a form of phonation.

Non-ballistic syllables are by contrast called "controlled".

References

Mugele, R. L. (1982). Tone and Ballistic Syllables in Lalana Chinantec. Ph.D. dissertation. Austin: University of Texas.
Silverman, Daniel (1994). "A Case Study in Acoustic Transparency: [spread glottis] and Tone in Chinantec". Proceedings of NELS (Amherst: University of Massachusetts) 24.

Phonation

Glottal states (from open to closed)

Breath	Murmur	Slack voice	Modal voice	Stiff voice	Creaky voice	Glottalized	Ballistic

(full airstream)	(breathy voice, whispery voice)	(intermediate)	(maximum vibration)	(intermediate)	(restricted airstream)	(blocked airstream)	(fortis)

Supra-glottal phonation

Faucalized voice ("hollow")
Harsh/ventricular voice ("pressed")
Strident voice (epiglottal trilled)

Non-phonemic phonation

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