Definition

1. 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.
2. 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

1. produced with vibration of the vocal cords;
   • a frequently voiced opinion
   • voiced consonants such as `b' and `g' and `z'

Noun

1. a speech sound accompanied by sound from the vocal cords