Knacklaut

Noun

 * 1)  glottal stop
 * 2)  a glottal stop found in null onsets (vowel-initial stems) in German and other languages
 * 1)  a glottal stop found in null onsets (vowel-initial stems) in German and other languages

Usage notes

 * It is often claimed that Standard German automatically inserts a glottal stop in null onsets, but this is a myth. Any initial glottal stop may be elided in everyday speech. While such pronunciations may be considered substandard, they by themselves belie the claim of an automatic glottal stop. More importantly, however, glottal stops in unstressed onsets are entirely optional and more often than not elided even in formal, careful standard speech.