Definition

1. Verb:
   • To pronounce as a vowel: To articulate a sound, typically a consonant or a liquid sound (like 'l' or 'r'), with the quality or function of a vowel. This often occurs when such a sound appears between two other consonants and serves as the nucleus of a syllable.

Usage

• The verb vowelise is used in linguistic contexts to describe a specific phonetic or phonological process. It is a technical term.
• It is primarily used in the passive voice (e.g., "is vowelised") or as a past participle to describe the result of the process.
• Example: "In some dialects, the 'l' in 'bottle' is vowelised, making it sound more like a vowel."

Examples

• Verb:
  • The 'r' sound in some British accents is often vowelised, as in the pronunciation of 'car'.
  • Linguists note that the final consonant can be vowelised in rapid speech, changing the syllable structure.

Advanced Usage

• Phonological Process: In phonology, to vowelise is to change a consonant into a syllabic sound, meaning it can form the peak of a syllable without a true vowel. This is often marked with a small vertical line (ˌ) below the phonetic symbol.
  • The process where /n/ becomes syllabic, as in 'button' [ˈbʌt.n̩], is an example of it being vowelised.

Variants and Related Words

• Vowelize (verb): An alternative spelling of vowelise. The meaning is identical.
• Vowelisation / Vowelization (noun): The act, process, or result of vowelising.
  • The vowelisation of the liquid consonant is common in that language family.

Synonyms

• Vocalise: In specific phonetic contexts, this can be a near-synonym, meaning to make vocal or to voice a sound. However, vocalise is broader and less technical than vowelise.
• Syllabify (in a specific sense): To make a sound function as the nucleus of a syllable, though this term is more general.

Notes

• Spelling: The word vowelise follows British English spelling conventions. The American English spelling is typically vowelize.
• Field of Use: This term is almost exclusively used in linguistics, phonetics, and phonology. It is not common in everyday conversation.

Verb

1. pronounce as a vowel
   • between two consonants, this liquid is vowelized