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Syllabic and Semivowel: Phonetics Word Prep

Word List with 50 words
By Dictionary.com

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Words in This List

affricate

v.t.

to change the pronunciation of (a stop) to an affricate, esp. by releasing (the stop) slowly.

breath

noun

the audible expiration generating voiceless speech sounds, as (p), (k), (sh)

aspiration

noun

articulation accompanied by an audible puff of breath, as in the h-sound of how or in the release of initial stops, as in the k-sound of key

stress

verb

to pronounce with prominent loudness

sound

noun

the audible result of an utterance or portion of an utterance

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broad

adjective

using one basic symbol to represent each phoneme

lax

adjective

articulated with relatively relaxed tongue muscles

initial

adjective

occurring at the beginning of a word or syllable like the (k) sound of kite, chasm, or quay

lateral

adjective

articulated so that the breath passes on either or both sides of the tongue, as l

smooth

adjective

without aspiration

clear

adjective

For the 'l' sound, having front-vowel resonance; situated before a vowel in the same syllable; produced without frication or aspiration

consonant

noun

any sound other than the sound of greatest sonority in a syllable

point

noun

a diacritic indicating a vowel or other modification of sound

open

adjective

a vowel articulated with a relatively large opening above the tongue or with a relatively large oral aperture

dark

adjective

back-vowel resonance in the 'l' sound when situated after a vowel in the same syllable

articulation

noun

the adjustments and movements of speech organs involved in pronouncing a particular sound, taken as a whole

voice

noun

the audible result of phonation and resonance

phone

noun

a speech sound

resonant

noun

a vowel or a voiced consonant or semivowel that is neither a stop nor an affricate

homophone

noun

a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning whether spelled the same way or not

transcribe

verb

to represent sounds in written phonetic or phonemic symbols

oral

adjective

articulated with none of the voice issuing through the nose, as b, v

liquid

adjective

a frictionless speech sound with only a partial obstruction of the breath stream whose utterance can be prolonged, especially l and r

vowel

noun

a speech sound produced without occluding, diverting, or obstructing the flow of air from the lungs

click

noun

any one of a variety of ingressive, usually implosive, speech sounds produced by suction occlusion and plosive or affricative release

nasal

adjective

pronounced with the voice issuing through the nose

schwa

noun

the phonetic symbol ?

dental

adjective

articulated with the tongue tip touching the back of the upper front teeth or immediately above them

lingual

adjective

articulated with the aid of the tongue, especially the tip of the tongue

weaken

verb

to change a speech sound to an articulation requiring less effort, as from geminate to nongeminate or from stop to fricative

constriction

noun

an articulated narrowing of the vocal tract that audibly obstructs the flow of air in consonants or defines a connection among resonance cavities in vowels

labial

adjective

involving lip articulation or a rounded vowel

fricative

adjective

a speech sound characterized by audible friction produced by forcing the breath through a constricted passage in the vocal tract

surd

adjective

voiceless; opposite to sonant

glottal stop

noun

a plosive consonant whose occlusion and release are accomplished chiefly at the glottis

breathed

adjective

unvoiced or voiceless; utilizing the breath exclusively in the production of a speech sound

syllabic

adjective

dominating the other sounds in a syllable

rounded

adjective

pronounced with rounded lips; labialized

semivowel

noun

a speech sound of vowel quality used as a consonant; (w) in wet or (y) in yet

vocalize

verb

change into a vowel

manner of articulation

noun

the degree of obstruction or the type of channel imposed upon the passage of air at a given place of articulation like stop, fricative, nasal, semivowel

velar

adjective

articulated with the back of the tongue held close to or touching the soft palate

voiced

adjective

pronounced with glottal vibrations; phonated

sonorant

noun

a voiced sound that is less sonorous than a vowel but more sonorous than a stop or fricative and that may occur as either a sonant or a consonant, as (l, r, m, n, y, w)

sonant

noun

a speech sound that by itself makes a syllable or subordinates to itself the other sounds in the syllable

articulator

noun

a movable organ, as the tongue, lips, or uvula, the action of which is involved in the production of speech sounds

uvular

adjective

articulated with the back of the tongue held close to or touching the uvula

bilabial

adjective

produced with the lips close together or touching