Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act or process of producing sound with the voice: The physical act of using the vocal organs to create audible sounds, especially speech or song.
   • A specific sound or utterance produced by the voice: A particular vocal sound made by humans or animals.
   • (Phonetics) The process of making a sound voiced: The change of a sound, typically a consonant, to one that involves vibration of the vocal cords.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The vocalization of complex thoughts requires sophisticated language skills.
  • Bird vocalizations are studied by ornithologists to understand their behavior.
  • The phonetic change involved the vocalization of the final consonant.

Advanced Usage

• In linguistics: Refers to the historical sound change where a consonant, like 'l' or 'r', becomes a vowel sound.
  • The vocalization of the 'l' in words like 'walk' is a feature of some English dialects.
• In animal behavior: The study of calls, songs, and other sounds produced by animals.
  • Researchers recorded the vocalizations of whales to decode their communication patterns.

Variants and Related Words

• Vocalize (verb): To produce sound with the voice; to utter.
  • It is important for babies to vocalize as part of language development.
• Vocal (adjective): Of or relating to the voice.
  • She has impressive vocal abilities.
• Voice (noun): The sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song.
  • He lost his voice after the concert.

Synonyms

• Utterance: A spoken word, statement, or vocal sound.
• Phonation: The production or utterance of speech sounds.
• Vocal sound: A sound produced by the vocal organs.

Related Phrases

• Vocalization pattern: The characteristic way in which sounds are produced.
  • Each dolphin has a unique vocalization pattern.
• Infant vocalization: The sounds made by babies before they develop speech.
  • Cooing and babbling are early forms of infant vocalization.

Related Idioms

(Note: There are no common idioms that use the exact word "vocalization." Idioms typically use the more common root word "voice.")

Noun

1. the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
2. the sound made by the vibration of vocal folds modified by the resonance of the vocal tract
   • a singer takes good care of his voice
   • the giraffe cannot make any vocalizations