sonant
/'sounənt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- (Phonetics) Voiced: Describes a speech sound, typically a consonant, produced with vibration of the vocal cords. This vibration can be felt in the throat.
- Noun:
- (Phonetics) A voiced sound: A speech sound, especially a consonant, that is produced with vocal cord vibration.
Usage and Examples
- Adjective:
- The sounds /b/, /d/, and /v/ are sonant consonants, unlike their unvoiced counterparts /p/, /t/, and /f/.
- In English, vowels are always sonant.
- Noun:
- The letter 'z' represents a sonant.
- Linguists study the contrast between sonants and surds (voiceless sounds).
Advanced Usage
- Sonorant: This is a related but broader phonetic category. While all sonorants (like /m/, /n/, /l/, /r/, and vowels) are sonant (voiced), not all sonants are sonorants. For example, the voiced plosive /b/ is a sonant but is not classified as a sonorant; it is an obstruent.
- The concept is central to phonological rules, such as final devoicing in some languages, where a sonant consonant at the end of a word becomes voiceless.
Variants and Related Words
- Sonorant (n.): A speech sound produced with a continuous, non-turbulent airflow, such as nasals, liquids, glides, and vowels. These are typically voiced.
- Voiced (adj.): The more common synonym for sonant.
- Voiceless (adj.) / Surd (n.): The direct antonyms, describing sounds produced without vocal cord vibration.
Synonyms
- Voiced (This is the standard, more frequently used synonym in linguistics.)
- Toned
Antonyms
- Voiceless
- Unvoiced
- Surd (a technical term)
Related Concepts and Contexts
- Phonetics: The study of the physical production and perception of speech sounds, where the sonant/voiceless distinction is fundamental.
- Phonology: The study of how sounds function within a particular language, where the contrast between sonant (voiced) and voiceless sounds can change meaning (e.g., 'bat' vs. 'pat').
- Assimilation: A common phonological process where a sound becomes more like a neighboring sound. For instance, a voiceless sound may become a sonant (voiced) when it occurs between two vowels.
Adjective
- produced with vibration of the vocal cords;
- a frequently voiced opinion
- voiced consonants such as `b' and `g' and `z'
Noun
- a speech sound accompanied by sound from the vocal cords