Luzius writes:
“I’m a PhD student in Historical Linguistics in Zürich, and I’ve got a glottal stop tattoo on the pinkie of my left hand. It is one of the letters of the International Phonetic Alphabet and it designates a specific consonant occuring in many languages of the world. To articulate a glottal stop, you need to stop the airflow by pressing your vocal cords together, build up pressure from the lungs, and then release the vocal cords with an audible burst. Many dialects of English have a glottal stop instead of /t/ in words like /cat/ or /butter/. It is common in German, too, where you can hear it in front in front of words starting with a vowel, like /Anna/ or /Eis/. I chose this tattoo because it represents my passion for linguistics, and because typograhpy in general, and the shape of this letter in particular, appeals to my sense of aesthetics.”
April 11th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
That one sound will get you far in reproducing accents.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:29 pm
In the example given in the post, is it like how some people from the UK say “bu’er” instead of “butter”?
May 7th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
I think I’ve found my next tattoo.
I’m originally from Hartlepool in the North East of England. It’s in an area called Teesside and our accent has a pronounced glottal stop. I’ll cut a long story short; In England northerners are often seen as poor, unsophisticated and less intelligent than people from the south.
For many years of my life, I felt being marked out as a northerner by my accent (and then judged) was a disadvantage. I’ve slowly learned that my accent is an advantage. Most people remember me because of it… SOME people underestimate me because of it and being underestimated is a distinct advantage in life.
The symbol is a great way of representing my home, my family and my background
May 1st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
To copy a person’s unique tattoo is theft of personality. To steal an idea which a person has obviously made a thoughtful and personal decision about would be a regrettable action for all parties involved. Especially when they have been so open and trusting as to share a piece of their private selves with the rest of us.
Britain has such an ancient and interestingly diverse culture – from Picts to Vikings to Romans and on – that it would be such a waste not to mine such a wealth of ideas. I’m certain there must be some distinct iconography in your northern culture which you would have a much more personal connection to.
Perhaps it would be more appropriate to peer inside oneself, rather than looking to others, to better describe who you are?
P.S. I understand I may be entirely too late on this topic, but I beg pardon, because I have strong feelings on the subject, and felt a need to speak.
October 6th, 2009 at 1:28 am
It’s a phonetic symbol. There was not a whole lot of originality required in the design or the choice. That does not cheapen its value, but it also does not make it “off limits” to another person.
It is not a “unique tattoo”. It is a universal linguistic symbol, like a letter of the alphabet. If a person gets a tattoo of, say, a treble clef, or a peace sign, or a Chinese character, that’s not a unique design. This person has seen an image that inspires him, and has his own (different) reason to identify with it. It’s downright ridiculous to call that “theft”.
That said, I love the simplicity of using a single phonetic character to carry so much more meaning than just the sound it denotes. I’ve been playing with similar ideas ever since I fell in love with linguistics.
(I know, graveyard post, but I figured I’d leave my reply for posterity.)
October 14th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
leland = wrong, English major = correct.
September 30th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
“To copy a person’s unique tattoo is theft of personality.” Well it depends…if it was a large tattoo designed specifically for the original person, yes. But in this case, it’s a pre-existing symbol/character, so second English major and Chris.
June 16th, 2011 at 7:03 am
Chris = wrong, English Major = wrong, leland = correct.
Sort of.
The original person chose it for a particular reason that meant something to them. If the other person copies it and claims the same reasons, then leland is correct. If they get the same tattoo for different reasons then Chris and English Major are correct.
February 4th, 2012 at 9:11 am
[...] David Brett has a helpful introductory page about it, including audio files, while Carl Zimmer’s Science Tattoo Emporium has a lovely example of a glottal stop tattoo. [...]