When a linguist says that a speech sound is 'VOICELESS' what do the mean by that?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When analyzing the concept of VOICELESS in phonetics, the key idea is about whether the vocal folds vibrate during the production of a sound.

First, note that the question asks for the meaning of 'VOICELESS' as used by linguists, which is a label applied to consonants and some speech sounds based on their voicing activity.

Since the provided data lacks explicit answer choices, we cannot directly evaluate multiple options. However, we can articulate the core definition and how it contrasts with 'voiced' sounds to anchor understanding.

- Core definition: A voiceless sound occurs when the vocal folds remain non‑vibrating during the articulation of the sound. In other words, there is no periodic vocal fold vibration accompanying the obstruction or constriction created by the articulators.
- Contrast with voiced sounds: For voiced sounds, the vocal folds do vibrate during production, as in the difference between /s/ (voiceless) and /z/ (voiced) in the same place of articulation.
- Practical examples: Common voiceless consonants in English include /s/, /t/, /k/, /f/, and /ʃ/ (as in "sheep"); common voiced counterparts include /z/, /d/, /g/, /v/, and /ʒ/ (as in "measure").
- Acoustic intuition: Voiceless sounds typically have higher spectral tilt and different amplitude patterns compared to their voiced equivalents, reflecting the absence of vocal fold vibration.

If one were to evaluate candidate explanations, the correct statement would specifically assert that the vocal folds are NOT vibrating during the production of the sound, distinguishing it from sounds where they do vibrate. Any option claiming vocal fold vibration or equating voiceless with internal states unrelated to vocal fold activity would be incorrect, as would statements that redefine voiceless in terms of pitch, loudness, or emotional state rather than air‑flow and vocal fold activity.

In the absence of shown answer options, these principles serve as the reliable criterion for identifying a voiceless sound: there is no vocal fold vibration during articulation, even though other articulatory mechanisms (airflow, constriction, tongue position) shape the sound.

CL LING_V 101 001/003 2025W1 Quiz 1 (Q1) 001

When a linguist says that a speech sound is 'VOICELESS' what do the mean by that?

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