got asked in af dms how playing flute would work, thought id share it here so you finally know how the breathing system works
nostrils, Chest nostrils, also called operculum are a common thing on every animal of altuyur (silieus or que'arsaeb). Some animals can have multiple slits to become living flutes (usually found in herd animals, and social ones), and multiple slits are commonly placed at the neck or back even. The opperculum are sound organs, with several vents and muscles that close it the operculum is quite good for whistles, low sounds, and high-pitch warnings
tho some families developed an organ that allows them to create much more complex sounds, that organ is called the vocal box and it usually goes back into the mouth, neck, or face. Maanuls and kyhuines are part of a family that has a vocal box and in their case, the vocal slits are found in the back of the mouth.
the vocal box lets them create more complex calls, sounds, and even "words". maanuls/kyhuines have one of the more complex vocal boxes if not the most, while they have word language half of their communication is done by "animalistic" calls and sounds. They cannot roar, the most aggressive sound they can make is a hissing one and that said hiss reassembles the one of a kitten, they sound like they're spitting (the hiss is obviously deeper/louder for maanuls due to their size, kyhuines hiss is very kitten-like because they are small). they can do a variety of yelling, "mews" that sound like flute sounds, they are an overall loud species that chatter to each other constantly, in groups even when not speaking they will do small noises either by using operculum or with vocal box but keeping their jaws shut.
some sounds are exclusive to one species, for example, "kyhuine chatter" one they do when grooming each other (or other social bonding activity) which sounds like weird pigeon noise. maanuls don't do that sound, and if they were to recreate it wouldn't be perfect because they cannot make such high-pitched noise. A maanul raised with kyhuines will do that noise instinctively but again, its not a perfect replica but still a closer one than an outsider maanul can do
they can speak constantly since the air goes through the lungs and then redirected to the vocal box instead of nostrils. maanuls and kyhuines got that corvid/parrot "accent", and hypothetically they would be good at mimicking our words without understanding them.
when speaking, maanuls/kyhuines will also use their operculum as tone indicators, by that mean when they do is whistle, do low pitch with their nostrils as tone indicator for their words. without operculum it would be near impossible to understand some phrases
fun fact, their snoring equivalent would be nostril whistles! another fun fact is that if they don't coordinate their vent right they might sound like there's 2 voice speaking same words, uncoordinate voice are common in drunk individual
edit:by the way when not breathing they inhale and exhale through chest nostrils, when speaking air goes in lung and whats supposed to get expelled goes then in vocal box and then expelled by vocal vents
