The relative nature of voice quality

What is phonemic in one language may be pathological in another. This is especially true with respect to voice quality. In English, phonation which is either too breathy (with a large turbulent component), or too creaky (with the arytenoids pressed too tightly together) is considered deviant. But in Bushman languages, both these phonation types contrast with each other and with regular voice. (These languages also have a fourth contrasting phonation type involving ventricular action, which would be considered very pathological in English.) All these phonation types will be demonstrated and, to a limited extent, quantified. It will be shown that some speakers (notably the elderly) have a more breathy voice as their norm, and make their contrasting breathy voice sounds with an even larger turbulent component.