Icelandic woman demonstrates the 'ingressive' linguistic habit of speaking while inhaling
It's common in Nordic countries and handful of other places, but striking to those unfamiliar with it.
Ever tried to speak on the in-breath?
When we think about the mechanics of speaking—as in physically forming words with our mouths and saying them out loud—exhaling is a big part of the process. We naturally breathe out while vocalizing, which is what makes our vocal chords vibrate and make sound, right? We exhale when we talk without even consciously thinking about it.
But what if we talked while inhaling? For most of us, that idea seems…well, backwards. Try it. It probably feels weird, unless you're from one of the handful of places in the world where people actually do it.
Una Eggertsdóttir, a woman from Iceland living in the U.S., demonstrated an Icelandic linguistic habit of speaking on the in-breath, and it's wild to watch for those unfamiliar with it. She says her friends in the U.S. make fun of her for answering "Yeah" while inhaling and ask her if she's okay, but it's totally a normal thing in certain countries, including Iceland.
@youcancallmeuna Here's how you can instantly sound more Icelandic! 🇮🇸 #iceland #icelandic #culturetiktok #languagelearning #language
Why do some Icelandic people speak while inhaling?
It's actually called "ingressive speech" or "ingressive phonation," and it's common to Nordic countries, parts of the U.K. and Ireland, the Atlantic Coast of Canada, and parts of New England, likely due to some shared Viking influence. Other cultures also have various manifestations of ingressive speech, but it seems to be most well-known among the Scandinavian nations and Ireland.
The most common ingressive sound seems to be an affirmative "yeah" or "ja," (also called pulmonic ingressive speech), which sounds almost just like a sharp, audible inhale with just a touch of vocalization. Ingressive phonation is often just one sound, but as in Eggertsdóttir's example, sometimes it's entire phrases or sentences spoken on the "in breath."
@cedrusk Pulmonic ingressive in Irish English. #irishlanguage #gaeilge #linguistics #phonetics #paralinguistic
What does ingressive phnation sound like?
When you're not familiar with it, ingressive phonation sounds strange. As one commenter wrote, "I noticed some Norwegians doing this too, I just thought they had respiratory problems from the cold air, lol." And a woman who married an Icelander said she was worried her husband was having a medical event.
People have shared the other places they've observed ingressive speech as well:
"We totally do that also in Northern Sweden. 😁"
"Some of my Dutch family does this! ☺️"
"The French do this with the 'ouais' on the inhale."
@parisiandesire The french inhale or the inhaled ouais is part of french culture! Also known as pulmonic ingressive, when french people speak, inhaling ouais like this can be quite common! #frenchinhale #frenchinhale💨 #frenchlanguage #french #livingfrance #frenchwords #frenchexpression #frenchpeople #learningfrench #frenchcultureshock #frenchcultureshock #speakingfrench #ouais
"My husband’s aunt does this. She’s from Finland. When she’s agreeing with something and says 'yeah.' I’ve always thought it was the cutest thing!"
"We hosted a Norwegian a number of years ago who we now call our Norwegian daughter. When her family came to visit her parents both did this! I now completely expect it."
"We do this in the Balkans as well! Usually when you’re gossiping 😅"
"Old time Maine people would talk on the in breath, I loved it."
"They also do that in Prince Edward Island up in Canada."
People have reported hearing or seeing ingressive sounds in non-European places as well, including Ethiopia, Brazil, and Japan. Many people shared that the first time they heard it, they thought something had startled the person because they were gasping, or they thought the person had some kind of breathing problem.
It just goes to show how exposing yourself to various cultures can broaden your perspective on even the most basic parts of life we wouldn't think to question. "People breathe out when they talk" may sound like an obvious statement of fact for people around the world who've never experienced ingressive speech, but it's not a given. The fact is, some cultures, in some instances, talk while they inhale. Ingressive speech feels unnatural and counterintuitive to some but totally natural and normal to others, which just highlights the delightful diversity of our human family.