The Language Sounds That Could Exist, But Don't

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  • čas přidán 1. 09. 2019
  • The International Phonetic Alphabet: one sound for each symbol, and one symbol for each sound. Except for the sounds we can't make. Pull down the description for the references! MORE LANGUAGE FILES: • Tom's Language Files
    Written with Gretchen McCulloch and Molly Ruhl. Gretchen's new book, BECAUSE INTERNET, is available now:
    🇺🇸 US: amzn.to/30tLpjT
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    🇬🇧 UK: amzn.to/31K8eRD
    (Those are affiliate links that give a commission to me or Gretchen, depending on country!)
    Gretchen can be found at lingthusiasm.com/
    REFERENCES:
    Harbeck, J. (2009). Presented at the 30th annual Editors’ Association of Canada conference, Toronto, June 6, 2009.
    Algeo, J., & Pyles, T. (2004). The origins and development of the English language (5th ed.). Boston, Mass.: Thomson/Wadsworth.
    Nicolaidis, Katerina (2005). "Approval of new IPA sound: the labiodental flap". Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 35 (2): 261.
    🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
    (you can find contact details and social links there too)
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Komentáře • 10K

  • @TomScottGo
    @TomScottGo  Před 4 lety +11932

    And that's it for this run of the Language Files! Thanks to co-authors Gretchen McCulloch and Molly Ruhl, and animator Stephen Houston-Moore. And to answer the question that'll get asked ten times in response to this, these videos and comments get scheduled weeks in advance so I don't have to worry about actually being online when they launch.

    • @phwaedih
      @phwaedih Před 4 lety +164

      Pls more language files in future 🙏🙏

    • @ResilientVulture
      @ResilientVulture Před 4 lety +140

      3 weeks ago? Someone explain this please thanks

    • @lunaraine
      @lunaraine Před 4 lety +38

      i was actually just about to ask how this comment was made 3 weeks ago (no offense) so thanks for answering that ^^
      also great series can't wait to see more in the future (if you're up for doing more that is)

    • @hiebrantsify
      @hiebrantsify Před 4 lety +56

      Next video - Languages that exist but shouldn't

    • @TotoDG
      @TotoDG Před 4 lety +13

      A’ight, see ya in three years.

  • @boeman6702
    @boeman6702 Před 3 lety +16162

    "A velar trill is judged imposibble."
    Me for 5 minutes: *gghhghhhhhhhghgrhhgggrghrgrgggrghr*

    • @Balou
      @Balou Před 3 lety +527

      I dont know if this is meant, but in german the r is regulary made in where you speak the k

    • @AlohaFourpeaks_
      @AlohaFourpeaks_ Před 3 lety +31

      +111

    • @Guilhermetwc
      @Guilhermetwc Před 3 lety +150

      @@Balou that's i thought, in portuguese also there are a few words you speak the R in the same place where you speak the K

    • @porpus2117
      @porpus2117 Před 3 lety +245

      I did it? Maybe unless I’m not thrilling the right place but it was really easy

    • @Rinkerbro
      @Rinkerbro Před 3 lety +152

      I just made the predator sound

  • @carrotmandoespixelmon1296
    @carrotmandoespixelmon1296 Před 4 lety +14542

    “By all means try it” if you think I haven’t been imitating a dying owl for the past 30 seconds already...

    • @vinos1629
      @vinos1629 Před 4 lety +117

      Same

    • @phs125
      @phs125 Před 4 lety +318

      I think I can do it.
      Say kaaaa, but don't change position of your tongue. Keep it near the throat so that there's a layer of saliva that vibrates.

    • @CathodeRayKobold
      @CathodeRayKobold Před 4 lety +192

      RRRR! RRRRRRR! Wait, that's uvular. *Makes Gollum sounds.*

    • @Concretizer
      @Concretizer Před 4 lety +44

      @@phs125 i just tried this and it's quite cool

    • @shitinsahu2267
      @shitinsahu2267 Před 4 lety +39

      @@phs125🤣 But can you form that layer of saliva at will? For sure it isn't always there.

  • @ViceroyoftheDiptera
    @ViceroyoftheDiptera Před 2 lety +478

    Of note: "hiccough" is a back-formation, "hiccup" is the older term. The spelling -cough came about from false-association with coughing.

    • @jhonbus
      @jhonbus Před rokem +11

      Let's do this with more words. Oughots oughore oughords! (Actually that last one should definitely oughork!)

    • @myhlosic
      @myhlosic Před rokem +27

      ​@@jhonbus i literally cannot read this

    • @sarcasticmoray6648
      @sarcasticmoray6648 Před 11 měsíci +5

      @@myhlosic I think he said, “what’s more words?”

    • @nadirhikmetkuleli7335
      @nadirhikmetkuleli7335 Před 10 měsíci +5

      Hiccup is associated with an unattested Old English verb Hiccan* and up as we know it, (Hicce up!*). Equivalents of unattested hiccan can be found in many languages in Germanic family.
      Frisian: Hikke, rarely hikke op
      Dutch: Hikken
      Danish: Hikke
      Norwegian: Hikke
      Swedish: Hicka
      Icelandic: Hiksti

    • @PC_Simo
      @PC_Simo Před 5 měsíci

      That definitely makes sense 🤔.

  • @phylk4683
    @phylk4683 Před 2 lety +753

    My parents are actually linguists and phoneticists and they always say to me “haaaarrrr kkkkk ha! Ooooowwwaaallllah qah-zah-blahc-kaaaahhh! At 2pm”.
    Always brings a tear to my eye if I’m being honest.

  • @loopiloop
    @loopiloop Před 4 lety +13642

    The distinct lack of him trying to pronounce non-symbol phonemes displeases me

    • @evilelf6188
      @evilelf6188 Před 4 lety +792

      The sounds that could make this into an awesome youtube vid, but don't.

    • @DerWaschbar2
      @DerWaschbar2 Před 4 lety +774

      You mean what's expected from the title?

    • @TheBrokenSolstice
      @TheBrokenSolstice Před 4 lety +178

      Idk, a back of the throat trill is just a gargle sound, isn’t it? I can do it just fine with my uvula..

    • @bradbradlylife9918
      @bradbradlylife9918 Před 4 lety +34

      phuc ewe I can do that with the seed I swallow. The sunflower seed. I got it from my mailman.

    • @bradbradlylife9918
      @bradbradlylife9918 Před 4 lety +10

      phuc ewe Here's the mail it never fails it makes me want to wag my tail

  • @BurazSC2
    @BurazSC2 Před 3 lety +5261

    new pick up line: "hey baby, don't mean to brag, but I can velar trill"

    • @bee4622
      @bee4622 Před 3 lety +131

      Thats literally throwing up tho 😂

    • @ferociousfeind8538
      @ferociousfeind8538 Před 3 lety +288

      "Mother can I have loose folds of tissue along my velum?"
      "For food?"
      "Yes."
      _actually produces velar trill_
      Velar trill time

    • @malachiwilliams4938
      @malachiwilliams4938 Před 3 lety +25

      @Yokai369 Oh, that’s good.

    • @JulianDanzerHAL9001
      @JulianDanzerHAL9001 Před 3 lety +25

      you could do a glottal lateral approximant - with some help

    • @nathanfryar3773
      @nathanfryar3773 Před 3 lety +9

      I immediately tried

  • @williamjones7163
    @williamjones7163 Před rokem +683

    Took a beginning Spanish class once that had a bunch of teachers in it. They were complaining how hard Spanish was. The teacher asked how do you pronounce "comb", "tomb", "bomb" and why are they pronounced that way. Suddenly Spanish words were making a whole lot of sense.

    • @alexpallaressierra7730
      @alexpallaressierra7730 Před 11 měsíci +23

      Spanish is very easy to read, but has more words

    • @koalaunknown
      @koalaunknown Před 11 měsíci +49

      @@alexpallaressierra7730 Spanish has way fewer words than English; it’s not even close.

    • @luxraider5384
      @luxraider5384 Před 10 měsíci +8

      spanish is very easy.

    • @julianburke7225
      @julianburke7225 Před 9 měsíci +1

      @@luxraider5384yeah

    • @_fedmar_
      @_fedmar_ Před 8 měsíci +11

      Spanish is very simple! Few words, not many grammar rules, and just the right amount of tenses.

  • @dilldoe1492
    @dilldoe1492 Před 2 lety +152

    Learning English is difficult, it can be taught through tough thorough thought though…

    • @dilgeatakan9366
      @dilgeatakan9366 Před 4 měsíci +4

      And they are *wildly* similar to each other. I mixed 2 of those up just because my mother language doesn't have dental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/ and I pronounce them as alveolar plosives /t/ and /d/.

    • @Miracle12348
      @Miracle12348 Před 11 dny +1

      My head is spinning

  • @lonestarr1490
    @lonestarr1490 Před 4 lety +12582

    I can totally imagine a bunch of scientists sitting together trying to produce all kinds of strange sounds just to decide whether a box of the table should be white or gray.

    • @JaimeIsJaime
      @JaimeIsJaime Před 4 lety +696

      sounds like a lot of fun

    • @cogithefool4284
      @cogithefool4284 Před 4 lety +767

      You definitely haven't attended a phonetics class then.

    • @Flobbled
      @Flobbled Před 4 lety +422

      There's a party game hidden here...

    • @christianwetzel2199
      @christianwetzel2199 Před 4 lety +125

      @@Flobbled or a big bang theory episode

    • @cenedra20
      @cenedra20 Před 4 lety +281

      That's why phonology was my favorite course, it was funny as hell to sit through the class, every class 😄

  • @sleepyLili
    @sleepyLili Před 4 lety +25602

    I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get to hear how those "possible but never used in any language" consonants sound like.

    • @pogogo51
      @pogogo51 Před 4 lety +1075

      Come on! Brbrbrbrbr! We know you want to!

    • @EmeraldMinotaur
      @EmeraldMinotaur Před 4 lety +904

      Some of them do make limited appearances in some languages. If you research a little bit, you can figure out how to make them yourself.

    • @b3z3jm3nny
      @b3z3jm3nny Před 4 lety +510

      One has your bottom lips on your top teeth like /v/ but you don’t actually let any air escape like a /b/ or a /d/; you just let the air pressure build up with a perfect seal.

    • @BigShrimpin_
      @BigShrimpin_ Před 4 lety +942

      @@b3z3jm3nny So silence then?

    • @safebox36
      @safebox36 Před 4 lety +411

      Put the tongue to your roof of your mouth and breathe in while making any sound...there's one for you, a sound that's not used in any language (technically). It is used in some stereotype nerd accents but other than that, not a lingual sound.

  • @shangerdanger
    @shangerdanger Před rokem +87

    funny you said "hawaii" which has a written glottal stop in hawaiian "hawai'i"

    • @derekschmidt5705
      @derekschmidt5705 Před 6 měsíci +11

      How is that funny? He pronounced it correctly to demonstrate exactly what he intended to demonstrate at the time it was appropriate to demonstrate it.

    • @kidzbop38isstraightfire92
      @kidzbop38isstraightfire92 Před 5 měsíci +1

      ​@@derekschmidt5705was just about to give same reply. Way to stay on his ass!

    • @quintonconoly
      @quintonconoly Před 3 měsíci

      How so many subs

  • @mder3a
    @mder3a Před rokem +50

    Of all the things you make videos about, linguistics are by far my top favourite. They have really made my ears more sensitive to things in speech I never knew existed, and have made me realise that what I thought was unique to certain languages probably exists in other languages, but just really less emphasized and less central to them.

  • @TheManWithTheFlan
    @TheManWithTheFlan Před 3 lety +17104

    although i thought i could pronounce things thoroughly enough, "hiccough" just ploughed right through me.

  • @almostfm
    @almostfm Před 3 lety +15694

    As someone once said: English is a language where "cough" "rough" and "through" don't rhyme, but "pony" and "bologna" do.

    • @wesleymays1931
      @wesleymays1931 Před 3 lety +3616

      English isn't a language. It's 3 languages in a trench coat pretending to be one.

    • @Somnogenesis
      @Somnogenesis Před 3 lety +1033

      @@wesleymays1931 Yes, and in the one I speak those two things don't rhyme at all - I automatically see the latter as "bo-lon-ya", as in the city.

    • @Q75
      @Q75 Před 3 lety +306

      Wth is bologna

    • @macaroon_nuggets8008
      @macaroon_nuggets8008 Před 3 lety +619

      @@Q75 Some weird processed meat.

    • @Q75
      @Q75 Před 3 lety +54

      @@macaroon_nuggets8008 ok

  • @shadow8005
    @shadow8005 Před 8 měsíci +15

    I’m taking a linguistics class this semester and I couldn’t stop laughing imagining a language based on the sound you make when choking on water

  • @PaulNDeputy
    @PaulNDeputy Před 11 měsíci +9

    As retired Speed-Language-Pathologist with a specialty in phonology, I enjoyed your presentation (as well as others you’ve made). They say you can always learn more and I have through you. Thank You.

  • @kitioppa
    @kitioppa Před 4 lety +4946

    The language sounds that could exist but don't.
    *proceeds to talk about the ones that do exist and the ones that can't

    • @penngheeney
      @penngheeney Před 4 lety +448

      Exactly! Very interesting video, but also highly disappointing given the title.

    • @larsatticus6807
      @larsatticus6807 Před 4 lety +63

      Technically the white spaces are in that category- they could exist, but not yet.

    • @fpsgod3028
      @fpsgod3028 Před 4 lety +18

      @@larsatticus6807 youre actually dumb

    • @Wigalot
      @Wigalot Před 4 lety +20

      @@fpsgod3028 could you explain why he's dumb?

    • @colefrazier4371
      @colefrazier4371 Před 4 lety +50

      @@Wigalot we wanted to hear them

  • @susmitislam1910
    @susmitislam1910 Před 3 lety +7095

    So this is basically a periodic table of human linguistic elements.

    • @georgiangelov13
      @georgiangelov13 Před 3 lety +93

      Wow! I have never imagined that way....
      I always see the chart as a Map of Coordinates, and when meet the x and the y you’ll get a Linguistic sound cool

    • @Jr-ft9ii
      @Jr-ft9ii Před 3 lety +53

      A periodic table of sounds 😜

    • @BidwellRunner
      @BidwellRunner Před 3 lety +54

      Well, it's only the consonants. You need another table for the vowels.

    • @nayaland9115
      @nayaland9115 Před 3 lety +11

      Oh wow
      I never thought of it that way

    • @obviativ123
      @obviativ123 Před 3 lety +14

      Affricates are molecules ... ?

  • @jorgee2320
    @jorgee2320 Před 2 lety +20

    I learned IPA symbols and it helped me pronounce any language I want to learn easily. While other people struggle for long times to be able to pronounce a single word, pronunciation is not a big issue for me anymore.

  • @vitonildo
    @vitonildo Před 2 lety

    One of the most interesting videos I ever watched in CZcams. Thanks, Tom.

  • @JohnFoley1701
    @JohnFoley1701 Před 3 lety +5828

    I just tried a glottal lateral, now i need a fresh shirt.

    • @horstherbert35
      @horstherbert35 Před 3 lety +276

      glottal lateral is basically what death metal vocalists do

    • @BierBart12
      @BierBart12 Před 3 lety +63

      @@horstherbert35 RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW

    • @mr.flibblessumeriantransla5417
      @mr.flibblessumeriantransla5417 Před 3 lety +194

      @Jim Panse I know you were probably joking, but in case not I thought I’d point out that most singers who use those kinds of growls are usually relying on the “False Glottis” also called the “False Vocal Chords,” which are two soft fleshy folds in the vocal tract which don’t vibrate on their own, but can be brought closer together by constricting the muscles in your neck, which when combined with forcing air out of your lungs, produces a sound usually at least an octave lower than can be produced with your normal vocal chords. Alternatively, violently forcing air through your throat while constricting your normal vocal chords can also achieve that “gravelly” sound, but will damage them if done repeatedly.

    • @larks.
      @larks. Před 3 lety +30

      Make sure it’s a red shirt

    • @rathole36
      @rathole36 Před 3 lety +2

      Same-

  • @HakureiReimuOfficial
    @HakureiReimuOfficial Před 3 lety +2786

    "You can't get your tongue down in your throat"
    Well, not in this website

    • @E4439Qv5
      @E4439Qv5 Před 3 lety +154

      **Seinfeld theme**

    • @ShufTheXD
      @ShufTheXD Před 3 lety +113

      **credits rolling**

    • @leerye2227
      @leerye2227 Před 3 lety +102

      **some laughing in the background**

    • @xtremefps_
      @xtremefps_ Před 3 lety +15

      But what if I have surgery to allow me to do it 🤔

    • @StormTheSquid
      @StormTheSquid Před 3 lety +49

      I think I just laughed so hard I made one of the greyed out sounds XD

  • @caroleanderson4020
    @caroleanderson4020 Před 2 lety

    Thanks for book recommend. I've been shopping vainly for a new book to read during hibernation. This one is good for the job.

  • @ayskura1076
    @ayskura1076 Před rokem +1

    I appreciate these videos Tom :) it made me. Think about split tongue if some sound deemed impossible (or even outside the table) are made actually possible by using half of tongue for something and half for other. Same with piercings on tongue or on cheeks.

  • @tiggysheppard3170
    @tiggysheppard3170 Před 3 lety +4229

    Them: “Velar Trill is impossible”
    Chewbacca: GRGRGRGRGRGRG

    • @ashrose6946
      @ashrose6946 Před 3 lety +93

      who needs English when you have Shyriiwook?

    • @hellcrafter5965
      @hellcrafter5965 Před 3 lety +145

      Wouldn't Chewbacca's vocals count as a uvular trill though?

    • @tiggysheppard3170
      @tiggysheppard3170 Před 3 lety +31

      @@hellcrafter5965 I honestly have no clue 😂

    • @ferociousfeind8538
      @ferociousfeind8538 Před 3 lety +72

      @@tiggysheppard3170 For that distinct gargling sound, I'd definitely prescribe a uvular trill, or fricative. It's something waaay back there, with something bouncing around.

    • @nagranoth_
      @nagranoth_ Před 3 lety +6

      for humans...

  • @YellowBunny
    @YellowBunny Před 4 lety +1514

    Are you choking?
    No, I'm just practicing the glottal lateral approximant.

  • @pineappleisthebest8768

    I don't know how you're so good at talking about topics I assume will be boring but then making really interesting videos about it

  • @Samiju
    @Samiju Před 2 lety

    This is so interesting, I loved every second of this video.

  • @JoaquinMartinezKeen
    @JoaquinMartinezKeen Před 4 lety +6094

    someone should make a machine to pronounce the grayed-out areas.

  • @elietheshark1497
    @elietheshark1497 Před 4 lety +426

    I want to imagine a bunch of 1890s era gentlemen sitting around a table in a very official building trying to make those impossible sounds and choking on their own voice limitations like khhhhhhkllkkkhhhhhhhhhhhhhkkhhsssssshhhhhhkkllllhhhhhuuuuuuuuuh

    • @nikkiofthevalley
      @nikkiofthevalley Před 3 lety +5

      That would be hilarious!

    • @sherbatt4769
      @sherbatt4769 Před 3 lety +28

      Rutherford, for the last time we can't make a bilabial lateral fricative. Now let's try a labiodental lateral fricative.

    • @RandomPerson-py8yi
      @RandomPerson-py8yi Před 3 lety +2

      @@sherbatt4769 I laughed

    • @adararelgnel2695
      @adararelgnel2695 Před 3 lety

      @@sherbatt4769 omg 😂😂😭

  • @miztahrayeproductions2942

    So glad this was suggested to me. Subscribed immediately.

  • @crayolasun
    @crayolasun Před rokem +2

    My son has apraxia so I've been exposed to these before but never in such depth! Thank you! Also, more examples would be utterly fascinating!

    • @kijeenki
      @kijeenki Před rokem

      a·prax·i·a | āˈpraksēə | noun
      • inability to perform particular purposive actions, as a result of brain damage

  • @phillipsandgren3094
    @phillipsandgren3094 Před 4 lety +2018

    "Imagine making the sound like ga or ka with a trill"
    *Perry the Platypus noise intensifies.*

    • @quadpad_music
      @quadpad_music Před 4 lety +72

      DUDE I WAS THINKING JUST THAT.
      I seriously wonder how that noise was made for the show. I mean, it was probably a foley artist, but how?

    • @normiedorian6873
      @normiedorian6873 Před 4 lety +39

      @@quadpad_music its not hard you raise the back of your toung up where the hard bump is and put the rest down like a slide and blow air out, it also sounds like the predator if you slow it down/ blow less air out

    • @joeybarela363
      @joeybarela363 Před 4 lety +40

      @@normiedorian6873 I almost choked on my own tongue trying to do this, now I just feel dumb

    • @compulsivecommenter990
      @compulsivecommenter990 Před 4 lety +6

      That would be a ʀa and a qa

    • @nuxapower
      @nuxapower Před 3 lety

      @@quadpad_music Palatal Trill

  • @AlexBrown9635
    @AlexBrown9635 Před 2 lety +6122

    Tom: **impossible and unusable sounds**
    Beatboxers: I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it's a *stupid* decision I've elected to ignore it.

    • @Loctorak
      @Loctorak Před 2 lety +116

      Tom: talking about spoken language.
      Beatboxing: not a language.
      Or in other words: how many English words require you to make a noise like a record scratch to say them?
      Z-z-z-zero.

    • @sheridan5175
      @sheridan5175 Před 2 lety +277

      @@Loctorak How very English centric
      And besides, you're reffering to the letters in white. OP was referring to the letters in grey.

    • @kidsdomath1330
      @kidsdomath1330 Před 2 lety +32

      You mean like clicks or ejectives?

    • @notablediscomfort
      @notablediscomfort Před 2 lety +40

      [laughs in deathcore]

    • @user-mv9vg8nc5o
      @user-mv9vg8nc5o Před 2 lety +9

      Liked for the marvel reference

  • @dannahbanana11235
    @dannahbanana11235 Před 7 měsíci +2

    "English isn't a language, English is three languages in a trench coat"

  • @MuMulen100
    @MuMulen100 Před 2 lety +3

    this one video taught me more about phonetics than an entire year at university. wish I'd seen this sooner!

  • @gccwang24
    @gccwang24 Před 3 lety +823

    - Everything the light touches is a possible sound
    - What about that shadowy place?
    - That's beyond our borders. You must never try to pronounce them

    • @thesaltedlamp3444
      @thesaltedlamp3444 Před 3 lety +7

      Wait... So, who are Scar and the Hyenas???

    • @user-zl1fx3lw9c
      @user-zl1fx3lw9c Před 3 lety +12

      @@thesaltedlamp3444 The loose folds hiding out in your throat that come out to laugh at you if you choke on food in exactly the wrong way.

    • @ananttiwari1337
      @ananttiwari1337 Před 3 lety +2

      @Alexander Nawrot moo

  • @martijnvanweele6204
    @martijnvanweele6204 Před 3 lety +8694

    Imagine meeting aliens and trying to learn their language:
    "No, you're saying it wrong; it's said with a velar trill."
    "How am I supposed to make a velar trill!?"
    "You press your globox against the back of your throat."
    "Humans don't have a globox."
    "What an awful way to live..."

    • @Majima_Nowhere
      @Majima_Nowhere Před 3 lety +1197

      "Imagine having no globox
      This post was made by the X̷̢̡̧̧̡̢̨̨̘̙̭̩̩̩̤̤͕͙̮̜̬̺̭̪͉̼̲͈͉͓͉̮̻̮͚͔̺͖̞̯̜͎̯͚̣̣̗͍̩̻̘̤̲̪̺̘͚̠̟͎̜̠̩͚̎̀̿̿͆̎̕̕͜͜ͅͅe̸̛̛͎͙̟̘͙̻͇̠̰̪̫̻̘̓͐̉́́͂̅͊͌̅̾̄̌̇͊̉̌̓̌̋̒̈́͑͋̓̒̂͐̈́̄͋͆̆̾̀̃̉͑́̆̈́̕͘͜͝͝͝͝͝ṇ̷̨̧̧̢̡̧̨̛͎͈͈͖̰͕̗̱̤͚̱͙͚̗̰̳͈͙̠̦̗̪͈̤̥̥̮͕̳̻̯̫͈̬̱̟̳̞̬̙͕̼̦̮̲̹͍́͛̈̾́͛̿̎͌̔̋̒̎̈́͆̑͆͑̄̈́̓́̓̈́̑̔̈́̋͌͛͂̀͆̃̈́̒͌̈́̆̄̂͒̒̀̔͗͆́̉͘̚͘͘̚͜͜͜͠͝o̷̧̢̭̣̲͖̜͓̖̪̾̀̂̿͑̂̈́̋̄̈́̈́͛̊̅͐́͗̉́͆͋̀̾͆̇̊̋̅͒́̓͛̈́͛̇̇̄̐́̂̽́͒̉̚̚̚͘̚͝͠ gang"

    • @cheesecakelasagna
      @cheesecakelasagna Před 3 lety +266

      @@Majima_Nowhere This but unironically.

    • @colorfulchameleon9891
      @colorfulchameleon9891 Před 3 lety +390

      But there are probably some sounds humans could make that they can't
      "you can't make a friative dental? How quaint"

    • @martijnvanweele6204
      @martijnvanweele6204 Před 3 lety +264

      @@colorfulchameleon9891 No. If sciencefiction has taught me anything, it's that aliens are always humans plus.

    • @colorfulchameleon9891
      @colorfulchameleon9891 Před 3 lety +288

      @@martijnvanweele6204 Honestly I personally dislike sci-fi for that reason. I think it'd be more interesting if aliens were completely unique species.
      But you're right. In modern sci-fi, they are just humans - BUT BETTER.

  • @GigaAndy
    @GigaAndy Před 2 lety

    Really interesting video thanks Tom.

  • @Term-0
    @Term-0 Před 7 měsíci

    I have been trying to researching phonetics, but couldn't find a way in, until you mentioned the international phonetic alphabet. Thank you.

  • @jaewok5G
    @jaewok5G Před 4 lety +2561

    "a language with words that can only be pronounced while momentarily choking on a bit of undercooked salmon" - this sounds like something douglas adams would've invented.

    • @SoluKissin
      @SoluKissin Před 4 lety +101

      I can already read it in the slight condescension I read Hitchhiker's in.

    • @ChasMusic
      @ChasMusic Před 4 lety +36

      I've heard the x in German, Yiddish, Hebrew, and, I think, Arabic, is best approximated by the sound of trying to clear a fish bone from your throat. (Don't swallow one just to try, please. Just pretend.)

    • @metaparalysis3441
      @metaparalysis3441 Před 4 lety +3

      @@ChasMusic I learn quranic arabic and I think you mean hamzah which I refer as a short a sound

    • @emilwibergh1014
      @emilwibergh1014 Před 4 lety +10

      Basically Danish.

    • @spencer6580
      @spencer6580 Před 4 lety +4

      This is the best comment in youtube history

  • @CaptainMorghan4152
    @CaptainMorghan4152 Před 2 lety +18977

    But could we use an AI to simulate those “impossible” sounds? It would be really cool to hear them

    • @breadispain454
      @breadispain454 Před 2 lety +2961

      No

    • @thatoneasian5660
      @thatoneasian5660 Před 2 lety +8279

      @@breadispain454 mans straight up declined the idea

    • @CaptainMorghan4152
      @CaptainMorghan4152 Před 2 lety +850

      @@breadispain454 yes

    • @kjarakravik4837
      @kjarakravik4837 Před 2 lety +1662

      There are sounds certain animals make that humans can't. Maybe it's a bit like that?

    • @MrNikeNicke
      @MrNikeNicke Před 2 lety +1642

      The chart doesn't really describe sounds, but how they're produced, so if it can't be produced, there is no sound it corresponding to the chart.

  • @kishanikent964
    @kishanikent964 Před 2 lety

    Thank you CZcams for showing me this 2 years later I will do great things with this empecable knowledge.

  • @foolyboi2640
    @foolyboi2640 Před 2 lety +2

    Love how Tom Scott can make a video on the most mundane topics and I’ll still watch all of them

  • @j.surnamez3588
    @j.surnamez3588 Před 2 lety +1734

    fun party game: gather all your friends and you all take turns trying to make the FORBIDDEN SOUNDS and then vote on who did it best

    • @Molybdaenmornell
      @Molybdaenmornell Před 2 lety +112

      And make sure someone cleans up the spit and treats the sore throats.

    • @nemui9654
      @nemui9654 Před 2 lety +78

      *accidentally summons demons*

    • @Anonymous-df8it
      @Anonymous-df8it Před 2 lety +42

      I tried to do the 'velar trill' and here's what I did (spoiler: when I tried it, I failed):
      1. Bring your tongue to the back of your mouth. Also, keep the tongue on the top of your mouth, like rolling your r's.
      2. Open your mouth wide to give your tongue space.
      3. exhale, but don't let the air go around the side
      Verdict: I was able to make the tongue vibrate, but it moved forward slightly meaning it was more of a palatal trill instead!

    • @Tzshchsjsjxijyo
      @Tzshchsjsjxijyo Před 2 lety +39

      @@Anonymous-df8it congratulations you just made me pronounce a breathy r, is that even a thing

    • @bearcubdaycare
      @bearcubdaycare Před 2 lety +4

      @@Molybdaenmornell I wonder if this isn't really the thing about them being listed as impossible...

  • @abolishgender3240
    @abolishgender3240 Před 2 lety +9119

    The best thing is to imagine a group of phonologists and linguists trying to judge whether a sound is impossible or not, these PhDs and postdoctorals making choking sounds without stopping the movement of air, trying to roll their Ks....

    • @miniraptor3211
      @miniraptor3211 Před 2 lety +848

      Honestly, "trying to roll/trill your K's" sounds like an insult for someone trying something impossible. Might keep that one for later.

    • @yaboimagnus4776
      @yaboimagnus4776 Před 2 lety +449

      as someone taking an alevel on linguistics that is currently at the phonetics section, that is exact what my class sounds like every single lesson , and it really is hilarious

    • @juliaabreus
      @juliaabreus Před 2 lety +186

      @@yaboimagnus4776 I'm so glad I'm still doing online classes, nobody can hear me choking over sounds that I theorically could make bcs they exist in my language but not in my accent

    • @freyafreyat
      @freyafreyat Před 2 lety +195

      "OMG tom was that a pharyngeal plosive? 😍"

    • @zjmullan
      @zjmullan Před 2 lety +6

      @@miniraptor3211 Not really. If you're that sensitive, stay off the internet.

  • @reimandume9107
    @reimandume9107 Před 2 lety

    Much appreciated Sir

  • @73hhK41
    @73hhK41 Před 2 lety +1

    Hey Scott!
    I have a REALLY long uvula, and I can trill a k type of sound. It makes an interesting sound, a bit like dragging a chair across a floor, or sometimes like a shallow purr of a cat (something like that).

  • @TheObamasMamas
    @TheObamasMamas Před 4 lety +1487

    I was hoping he’d try some of the sounds that are possible but never used

    • @vin-goldi
      @vin-goldi Před 4 lety +48

      Exactly what I was thinking!

    • @mina0rahman
      @mina0rahman Před 4 lety +10

      Same.

    • @vojtechdubcak6135
      @vojtechdubcak6135 Před 4 lety +58

      A lot of them are actually used. But they do not contrast with other phonemes, there are simply allophonic. They have no dedicated symbol. For example, labiodental plosives are [p̪ b̪], bilabial flap is [ⱱ̟], uvular lateral approximant is [ʟ̠] and so on. The chart doesn't feature the labialized voiced alveolar fricative trill [r̝ʷ] which is a phoneme in czech and even contrasts with /r/, /ʒ/ and/rʒ/. If Tom were to pronounce for instance the voiceless retroflex lateral fricative /ɭ̊˔/ (which is a sound that doesn't exist in any language according to this video), you probably wouldn't hear the difference between the alveolar one (/ɬ/) and the retoflex one. And you would be disappointed saying "But both of them sounded the same." Now you can see that the title is a little misleading.

    • @travcollier
      @travcollier Před 4 lety +23

      @@vojtechdubcak6135 Phonetic production and perception are different 'filters', of course. My fav example was a Japanese professor who would use l and r flawlessly in English, but literally couldn't perceive the difference when listening. Though, totally deaf people who learn how to speak is more impressive.

    • @P3vlogVid
      @P3vlogVid Před 4 lety +4

      I wanted to like your comment but it's at 666

  • @Brockohliflower
    @Brockohliflower Před 4 lety +1641

    'by all means, try it' *spends 10 minutes unintentionally insulting Donald Duck's grandma*

  • @sadiesavanna8369
    @sadiesavanna8369 Před 2 lety +6

    Not me being in my room trying to pronounce the letters like: aEH lLiH Eei rrRrRr zxsßa BbUh cUHCFah

    • @amiga2025
      @amiga2025 Před 2 lety

      this is how you raise demons.

  • @aggersoul23
    @aggersoul23 Před 2 lety +2

    Ive watched this vid years ago, but never did I think about specialising in it.
    Now here I am, once again, between now and then. A phonetic expert _-_

  • @Ryutix
    @Ryutix Před 4 lety +1337

    3:59 Today I learned that I speak welsh when the sun hits my eyes

  • @randoiguess
    @randoiguess Před 2 lety +4961

    We've been spelling 'Briʔish' wrong this whole time

  • @niaj.2684
    @niaj.2684 Před 2 lety

    great video!

  • @anwarmi2000
    @anwarmi2000 Před rokem

    Very informative

  • @thomasmelbournemusic4182
    @thomasmelbournemusic4182 Před 4 lety +4041

    Just me who wants a simulation to hear what the impronounciable sounds would sound like?

    • @utetopia1620
      @utetopia1620 Před 4 lety +232

      Only possible in the fifth dimension.

    • @blastodermis
      @blastodermis Před 4 lety +306

      It'll be speaking the language of gods

    • @S0up3rD0up3r99
      @S0up3rD0up3r99 Před 4 lety +218

      Do you want to summon elder gods? Because that's how you summon elder gods!

    • @KuraSourTakanHour
      @KuraSourTakanHour Před 4 lety +150

      I think this is a Job for AI generated speech

    • @larsatticus6807
      @larsatticus6807 Před 4 lety +86

      I want someone to build a robot that can troll in the back of their throat. But usually robots use human voices to make words... hm.

  • @stludachris
    @stludachris Před 4 lety +2162

    Tom: “you physically can’t make that sound”
    Me: hold my beer... “łèhįœfæç”

    • @Perseus3248M
      @Perseus3248M Před 4 lety +208

      Do you want to summon cthulhu? Cause thats how you summon cthulhu...

    • @EmpireAntz
      @EmpireAntz Před 4 lety +30

      Seeing "æ" there, that's in the vowels chart ,':^)

    • @DnKmagic
      @DnKmagic Před 4 lety +66

      Hold my IPA*

    • @bingbonghafu
      @bingbonghafu Před 4 lety +10

      You can definitely pronounce that

    • @thegamingempire7746
      @thegamingempire7746 Před 4 lety +10

      I hope people get the joke.. rather than going oversmart mode

  • @almosthuman4457
    @almosthuman4457 Před 8 měsíci

    a nice trip back in time and it's still interesting

  • @Lpp360
    @Lpp360 Před 8 měsíci +1

    Wow man nice video.

  • @gomezfriesen
    @gomezfriesen Před 3 lety +3710

    I thought from the title you would be pronouncing the letters that can be pronounced but are not found in languages. I would love to hear those.

    • @tolgacetiner1243
      @tolgacetiner1243 Před 2 lety +69

      Me too

    • @figgynewton5664
      @figgynewton5664 Před 2 lety +86

      Ack, ookrq, brrrpup, meow, and rvoof, or something

    • @ellasedits_
      @ellasedits_ Před 2 lety +107

      @@figgynewton5664 all of those are used in at least English and possibly more as onomatopoeias

    • @ursulap.6722
      @ursulap.6722 Před 2 lety +102

      Seriously, I feel clickbaited :-/

    • @GiraffeFlavoredCondoms
      @GiraffeFlavoredCondoms Před 2 lety +14

      @@waggyn My brain: eSports League..? English.. sign language? Eastern... Saint.. Louis?? OH! English Second Language!

  • @jeremy1392
    @jeremy1392 Před 4 lety +1083

    Everybody: "this is cool"
    Fantasy Writers: "This looks like a job for me."

    • @Daelyah
      @Daelyah Před 3 lety +36

      ...as an aspiring writer, I feel only slightly called out...

    • @anthonyt4154
      @anthonyt4154 Před 3 lety +26

      someone can make a fictional language from this haha
      let's give languages besides Klingon and Elvish a chance

    • @Alchemy818.
      @Alchemy818. Před 3 lety +20

      I mean, I made two languages with clicks, whistles, hums, and chirps. They’re spoken by mermaid like creatures (clicks, whistles, hums) and harpy like creatures (whistles, chirps) so there’s that.

    • @danielsjohnson
      @danielsjohnson Před 3 lety +13

      "...so everybody. Just follow me."
      I'm probably overthinking this, but you reminded me of Eminem.

    • @obviativ123
      @obviativ123 Před 3 lety

      Am I the only conlanger who creates languages without stories? I mean, most people also don't need stories for their pictures/drawings.

  • @toni7808
    @toni7808 Před 2 lety

    I’ve always thought about other letters so thank you

  • @aisforamerica2185
    @aisforamerica2185 Před 4 lety +3872

    i was today years old when I learned hiccup is spelled "hiccough"

  • @christeebs
    @christeebs Před 4 lety +1264

    I'd appreciate a deeper look at this video. 20 minutes of Tom making noises pls

    • @asterism343
      @asterism343 Před 4 lety +18

      _but what if it was asmr_ ...just kidding that'd be extremely cursed

    • @elietheshark1497
      @elietheshark1497 Před 4 lety +8

      "20 minutes of Tom making noises." +14.8 point for phrasing

  • @felipematus3021
    @felipematus3021 Před rokem

    Great video.

  • @astrovation3281
    @astrovation3281 Před 2 lety

    This def made my appreciation for languages and the way we talk work bigger

  • @KyleJMitchell
    @KyleJMitchell Před 4 lety +2381

    Wow, I had completely forgotten about that spelling of 'hiccup'.

    • @Narsuaq
      @Narsuaq Před 4 lety +14

      Same

    • @Sammie1053
      @Sammie1053 Před 4 lety +12

      Only reason I remembered it is because of that Barshens video where they used the mouth separators

    • @BetaDude40
      @BetaDude40 Před 4 lety +105

      I think it's kind of interesting how you can clearly see in British English that "cough" and "hiccough" are clearly derived from some jerking motion in the lungs producing a course sound. I never made the connection because I use American English, and it's interesting that you acknowledge how similar they are!

    • @girv98
      @girv98 Před 4 lety +97

      @@BetaDude40 funnily enough, they're actually not related at all. The reason it's spelt like that is the same reason 'island' has an 's'. Someone thought they were related and changed the spelling to reflect that.

    • @nerdsimulator9646
      @nerdsimulator9646 Před 4 lety +8

      *sameeeeee

  • @1337fraggzb00N
    @1337fraggzb00N Před 3 lety +2893

    Meanwhile in Germany:
    "Good day, how are you?"
    "Hello my friend, actually I feel splendid."
    "That is good to hear, I wish you best."
    Translation:
    "Und?"
    "Jo."
    "Jo."

  • @MaddieFishblob
    @MaddieFishblob Před rokem +9

    WAITTTTTT! Now I understand why when writing Arabic words using the English alphabet, some of the letters nonexistent in English are written as the numbers 2 and 3. There’s a 3 and a symbol similar to 2 on this chart! 😆 one of the great mysteries of the world unexpectedly solved tysm

    • @finnnaginnn
      @finnnaginnn Před rokem

      The "3" is more of a "z" with a tail.

    • @thevalarauka101
      @thevalarauka101 Před 8 měsíci +1

      the one that looks like a 3 is an old Z with a tail (for the zh sound) and the one like a 2 or a ? is a glottal stop

  • @user-xiaoyaoniangwangbo
    @user-xiaoyaoniangwangbo Před měsícem

    this is so interesting to watch

  • @Kluneberg
    @Kluneberg Před 4 lety +137

    Pronouncing the grey boxes is how you summon Cthulhu and open portals to other dimensions.

    • @patrickreilly478
      @patrickreilly478 Před 4 lety +5

      You know, you jest, but Lovecraft's preferred pronunciation of Cthulhu actually attempts to use a glottal trill, and sounds just awful...

    • @C28_Music
      @C28_Music Před 4 lety

      bios47 and with the black boxes, you can alter reality

    • @dreadcthulhu6842
      @dreadcthulhu6842 Před 4 lety

      Yes, that is correct.

  • @DoctorDex
    @DoctorDex Před 4 lety +1358

    Every time you mention the international phonetic association, I imagine a kind of Jedi council for human speech.

    • @NoahHornberger
      @NoahHornberger Před 4 lety +53

      they are always on the streets handing out chap-stick, bottled water, and loads of alphabet soup

    • @raywilliams6717
      @raywilliams6717 Před 4 lety +22

      @@NoahHornberger I want an alphabet soup will All possible letters/characters!! It would be amazing.

    • @lioraselby5328
      @lioraselby5328 Před 4 lety +26

      What about the droid attack on the glottal laterals?

    • @graysongdl
      @graysongdl Před 4 lety +21

      That's what I've always thought of when Tom mentions the Unicode Consortium.

    • @ZeppelinBigFan
      @ZeppelinBigFan Před 4 lety +8

      I just wanted a beer.

  • @sol_mental
    @sol_mental Před 2 lety

    This video is too precious

  • @steakfilly5199
    @steakfilly5199 Před rokem +4

    Came back here to say this video introduced me to phonetics a while back and now I’m mostly fluent in ipa and It’s one of my favorite hobbies. Thank you

  • @meisteraffe2239
    @meisteraffe2239 Před 2 lety +1802

    The Velar-trill is just the sound Perry the Platapus makes

    • @khaitranngoc4176
      @khaitranngoc4176 Před 2 lety +128

      Thank you. The secret to velar trill is revealed, it's just an edited voice of Dee Bradley Baker.

    • @inkanonymous3064
      @inkanonymous3064 Před 2 lety +22

      EXACTLY I LITERALLY THOUGHT THE EXACT SAME THING!!!

    • @ewanhendry1106
      @ewanhendry1106 Před 2 lety +8

      I was literally thinking that!!! and we can definitely do it

    • @minecat1839
      @minecat1839 Před 2 lety +9

      Agent P!!!!!

    • @kalebwingfield
      @kalebwingfield Před 2 lety +13

      wouldnt that be more uvular rather than velar?

  • @AdeleiTeillana
    @AdeleiTeillana Před 4 lety +3684

    Well, I'm disappointed. I thought you were going to actually sound out what the sounds in the white boxes would be. 😕

    • @bradbradlylife9918
      @bradbradlylife9918 Před 4 lety +52

      Well that's what u get for being homeschooled

    • @alejrandom6592
      @alejrandom6592 Před 4 lety +16

      do it yourself

    • @Liamhvet
      @Liamhvet Před 4 lety +136

      @@bradbradlylife9918 i dont like you

    • @nottoofast
      @nottoofast Před 4 lety +34

      @@bradbradlylife9918 I also don't like you

    • @bradbradlylife9918
      @bradbradlylife9918 Před 4 lety +6

      I feel like I'm in highschool again
      They don't tell u that when u drop out, the world drops out with u 🏄

  • @honkhonk9089
    @honkhonk9089 Před rokem +3

    0:12 I remember how I was trying to get to the Slough station in London and didn’t know how to say it.

    • @user-pk9qo1gd6r
      @user-pk9qo1gd6r Před rokem +1

      It's your fault for every having such a dumb idea as to try and get to Slough

  • @LunaNora
    @LunaNora Před 2 lety

    very interesting!

  • @kenny7593
    @kenny7593 Před 2 lety +520

    I want a video with all of the "possible, but unused" sounds being pronounced.

    • @ancients6498
      @ancients6498 Před rokem +41

      I thought that was this video, I'm so disappointed

    • @artifactU
      @artifactU Před 9 měsíci +2

      i wish, but i doubt anyone currently alive iz able to do a palatal trill

    • @SuryaBudimansyah
      @SuryaBudimansyah Před 7 měsíci

      Sounda like a TikTok challenge

  • @danbrew2487
    @danbrew2487 Před 4 lety +1925

    You can trill a k, just pretend you're on a walky talky.
    Over.

    • @salemsmith7085
      @salemsmith7085 Před 4 lety +65

      Dan Brew brilliant

    • @cora5187
      @cora5187 Před 4 lety +82

      Also kinda works by growling but like. With more K involved

    • @JoshLeRose
      @JoshLeRose Před 4 lety +76

      Yes this is correct except it’s actually more of an [X] or an achlaut. It’s used in German.

    • @Oddn7751
      @Oddn7751 Před 4 lety +159

      That's just a fricative! A trill requires something to vibrate.

    • @635574
      @635574 Před 4 lety +17

      It makes a kchhh sound but thats not what it was supposed to be

  • @aleksandrnestrato
    @aleksandrnestrato Před 2 lety

    5:04 Tried. It is possible. Voiced one is way easier than the unvoiced one.
    Reminded me a kinda palatalised or softened version of the Uvular trill.

  • @s4yum1
    @s4yum1 Před 2 lety

    Finally my Linguistics major helped me understand one of your videos.

  • @ohifonlyx33
    @ohifonlyx33 Před 3 lety +718

    Alternate title: Language Sounds That Can't Exist. I thought we'd hear the sounds that we actually COULD use.

    • @drausino
      @drausino Před 3 lety +81

      I agree. I was slightly disappointed. Those white boxes scream RPG potential.

    • @Laeiryn
      @Laeiryn Před 3 lety +21

      I assure you, if it's a sound the human vocal tract can make, someone somewhere at some point in history has used it in a language. Clicks are a good example but so is, say, Fluffy's bit of comedy about how that 'tsk' sound means entire paragraphs to a Latina mother.

    • @wesleymays1931
      @wesleymays1931 Před 3 lety +2

      I can produce 2 separate pitches at the same time.
      Hint: I'm _not_ using my larynx to produce those pitches.

  • @lumpwurtroot
    @lumpwurtroot Před 3 lety +1242

    "Try and make a velar trill"
    Well i would if i knew what velar or trill meant

    • @goldeviolets4314
      @goldeviolets4314 Před 3 lety +28

      Brig B Velar means it’s made at the same place where /k/ and /g/ are made, and a trill is a manner of articulation

    • @CaveyMoth
      @CaveyMoth Před 3 lety +42

      [Cat purring noise] Is this really impossible for people?

    • @goldeviolets4314
      @goldeviolets4314 Před 3 lety +25

      Cavey Möth A cat purring noise isn’t a Velar Trill

    • @goldeviolets4314
      @goldeviolets4314 Před 3 lety +20

      Actually it’s kind of like an alveolar trill

    • @starrix4712
      @starrix4712 Před 3 lety +3

      And I thought trills were only assigned to kitties

  • @SteveJones313
    @SteveJones313 Před 8 měsíci +2

    I can't get over Tom pronouncing "tongue" as "tong"

  • @linguini1517
    @linguini1517 Před rokem +5

    I've seen a conlang that uses literally every slot on the table,including the impossible ones. Also, the table is changed so it is around 144x120 instead of the normal size, with the normal table fully inside of it

    • @kaengurus.sind.genossen
      @kaengurus.sind.genossen Před 7 měsíci +1

      Was it a candidate for the cursed conlang circus?

    • @linguini1517
      @linguini1517 Před 7 měsíci +1

      @@kaengurus.sind.genossen yes

    • @pikchassis
      @pikchassis Před 6 měsíci

      @@linguini1517 what was it

    • @linguini1517
      @linguini1517 Před 6 měsíci

      @pikchassis I forgot, its in agma schwa's cursed conlang circus

  • @statelyelms
    @statelyelms Před 2 lety +901

    I was hoping for him to make some of those ignored, but possible sounds.

  • @meilia7748
    @meilia7748 Před 2 lety +2003

    the reason why that glottal stop occurs in “hawai’i” is because the hawaiian language actually uses the glottal stop as a letter, called the ‘okina. the closest a modern keyboard can get to writing an ‘okina is using an apostrophe, which is what i’m doing here, but in reality, the ‘okina is a separate character and it is included as a letter in the hawaiian alphabet. it’s also present in words like a’a (a type of lava) and pa’u (a traditional skirt). The ‘okina can’t just be left out of words either, because, and using pa’u as an example, “pau” just means “done”, not “skirt.” It affects pronunciation and meaning, and it’s really just a fascinating part of hawaiian language.

    • @sonictailsandsally
      @sonictailsandsally Před 2 lety +80

      Reminds me of a similar concept in Japanese: いた (ita) vs いった (itta)

    • @beth12svist
      @beth12svist Před 2 lety +58

      @@sonictailsandsally Doubled consonants are a thing in Finnish as well.
      I've also somewhat recently realised that English as an overarching concept does not necessarily differentiate vowel length the way many languages including my own (Czech) do - even though I also think many dialects of English actually do (just like some dialects of Czech kind of don't), it's just that English on the whole has a habit of dismissing such differences...

    • @AJthe13th
      @AJthe13th Před 2 lety +20

      oh cool, that's something new that I just learned. So that's why there are a lot of apostrophes when we read hawaiian words in english

    • @OogyTheMango
      @OogyTheMango Před 2 lety +27

      An ‘okina is typically depicted as a backwards/upside down apostrophe. If you're using a mobile keyboard and hold down the ' key it might show up: ‘ Otherwise you have to use a special shortcut on the computer.

    • @bitmap4766
      @bitmap4766 Před 2 lety +13

      A glottal stop is a separate letter in Klingon as well!

  • @coldcanida
    @coldcanida Před 2 lety

    I just had my tonsils removed about a week ago and this video brought me much pain...

  • @mattiaslindberg
    @mattiaslindberg Před rokem

    Amazing, never knew this existed

  • @phosphoros60
    @phosphoros60 Před 3 lety +424

    Tom: "A velar thrill is judged impossible. By all means, try it!"
    me: *chokes

    • @jamielonsdale3018
      @jamielonsdale3018 Před 3 lety +21

      Rolling a G is uncomfortable, but not impossible. Before you try it, get a towel or something because when you succeed saliva will go flying everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE.

    • @rareblue9543
      @rareblue9543 Před 3 lety +9

      @@jamielonsdale3018 I tried this without a towel...
      *regret*

    • @douglasrobles-thome7321
      @douglasrobles-thome7321 Před 3 lety +3

      @@jamielonsdale3018 Isn't this the sound that you make in french when you say Croi or Sacre?

    • @KarasuInaiga
      @KarasuInaiga Před 3 lety

      *trill

    • @wesleymays1931
      @wesleymays1931 Před 3 lety

      Chewbacca noises

  • @matthewthedford2041
    @matthewthedford2041 Před 2 lety +5886

    Tom: “You can’t do a velar trill.”
    Most People: *Gollum noises*
    Me: *Aggressive purring*

    • @BadenPOWER189
      @BadenPOWER189 Před 2 lety +75

      accurate

    • @undyingUmbrage413
      @undyingUmbrage413 Před 2 lety +315

      honestly yea. a velar trill is possible, it just requires trilling with your uvula rather than your tongue. (might not count as a trill, but it still works like one)

    • @lektik2941
      @lektik2941 Před 2 lety +210

      @@undyingUmbrage413 Totally possible. while watching the video I scoffed and then did this immediately. "There's just no flesh loose enough to bounce around right at the back of the roof of your mouth." XD

    • @flux.aeterna
      @flux.aeterna Před 2 lety +107

      @@undyingUmbrage413 I’m able to do this while inhaling instead of exhaling. Learned this after realizing, post tonsillectomy, that I could no longer glottal trill to make Chewbacca noises.

    • @juch3
      @juch3 Před 2 lety +293

      God why do people keep saying this, if you use your uvula that means it's an uvular trill not a velar trill

  • @valtteripennanen4043
    @valtteripennanen4043 Před rokem

    Forgot that this is from three years ago and still suprisingly holds up with that familiar Tom Scott style

  • @martinpaulsen1592
    @martinpaulsen1592 Před 8 měsíci

    I love how Tom just kind of runs out of steam trying to describe the Great Vowel Shift. He's got this great sentence going, and then realizes he just doesn't have a way to describe it that isn't circular...

  • @henryrichard7619
    @henryrichard7619 Před 3 lety +696

    “You can’t pronounce all those ‘P’s”
    _laughs in unvoiced bilabial trill_

    • @kurzeme
      @kurzeme Před 3 lety +7

      @The Flying Dolphin Gemination would only yield a long pause and possibly, a release into a schwa

    • @kurzeme
      @kurzeme Před 3 lety

      @The Flying Dolphin better

    • @ferociousfeind8538
      @ferociousfeind8538 Před 3 lety +1

      @@kurzeme
      _non-pulmonic bilabial release time_

    • @AbdulHaseeb-ze7pu
      @AbdulHaseeb-ze7pu Před 3 lety +8

      (letting your lips hang loose without using your vocal cords. Think the raspberry "pffff")

    • @eclipse-music
      @eclipse-music Před 3 lety +8

      For those interested (i.e., only me) that would be written /ʙ̥/

  • @natalya8988
    @natalya8988 Před 3 lety +560

    Him: “These sounds are impossible”
    Everyone: KGHKGHFKFJFHDJFJHH

    • @philip8498
      @philip8498 Před 3 lety +14

      how many people just straight up died trying these sounds?

    • @erikmensinga
      @erikmensinga Před 3 lety +3

      @@philip8498 oh no

  • @marlonschluga
    @marlonschluga Před 8 měsíci

    Just talked me into trying the velar trill… it worked. Sounded like a literate snake.

  • @Spookspek
    @Spookspek Před 2 lety

    I did a velar trill, and a glottal lateral too.