Epiglottal Trill

In the epiglottal trill, the larynx is raised and the pharynx constricted, so that the epiglottis vibrates instead of the vocal cords. In the related aryepiglottal trill, the arytenoid cartilages vibrate.

Epiglottal consonants are often allophonically trilled, and in some languages the trill is the primary realization of the consonant. Although there is no official symbol for an epiglottal trill in the IPA, ⟨ᴙ⟩ (reversed ⟨ʀ⟩, homographic to Cyrillic ⟨я⟩) is occasionally used in the literature.

In some descriptions of the northern dialect of Haida, the term "pharyngeal trill" refers to this sound. (Epiglottals are sometimes considered a subcategory of pharyngeal consonants.)

In addition to the occurrence of this sound as a consonant, strident vowels are defined by an accompanying epiglottal trill.