Devoicing
Encyclopedia
In phonology
, voicing (or sonorization) and devoicing are sound change
s, whereby a consonant
changes its type of voicing
from voiceless
to voiced, or vice versa, due to the influence of a phonological element in its phonological environment. Most commonly, the change is caused because of sound assimilation with an adjacent sound of opposite voicing, but it can also occur word-finally or in contact with specific vowel.
For example, English suffix -s is pronounced [s] when it follows a voiceless phoneme (cats), and [z] when it follows a voiced phoneme (dogs).
process of voicing stem-final fricatives when forming noun-verb pairs or plural
nouns.
Synchronically
, the assimilation at morpheme boundaries is still productive, such as in: :
The voicing alternation found in plural formation is losing ground in the modern language,, and of the alternations listed below many speakers retain only the [f-v] pattern, which is supported by the orthography
. This voicing is a relic of Old English, the unvoiced consonants between voiced vowels were 'colored' with voicing. As the language became more analytic and less inflectional, final vowels/syllables stopped being pronounced. For example, modern knives is a one syllable word instead of a two syllable word, with the vowel 'e' not being pronounced. However, the voicing alternation between [f] and [v] still occurs.
The following mutations are optional:
Sonorants (/l r w j/) following aspirated fortis plosives (that is, /p t k/ in the onsets of stressed syllables unless preceded by /s/) are devoiced such as in please, crack, twin, and pewter.
where voiceless consonants become voiced at the beginning of a word. For example, modern German [ˈzaːɡn̩], Yiddish [ˈzɔɡn̩], and Dutch [ˈzɛɣə] (all "say") all begin with [z], which derives from [s] in an earlier stage of Germanic, as still attested in English say, Swedish [ˈsɛːja], and Icelandic [ˈseiːja]. Some English dialects were affected this as well, but it is rare in modern English. One example is fox (with the original consonant) compared to vixen (with a voiced consonant).
, Dutch
, Polish
, and Russian
, among others. In these languages, voiced obstruent
s in the syllable coda
or at the end of a word
become voiceless.
Phonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
, voicing (or sonorization) and devoicing are sound change
Sound change
Sound change includes any processes of language change that affect pronunciation or sound system structures...
s, whereby a consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
changes its type of voicing
Voice (phonetics)
Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless or voiced. The term, however, is used to refer to two separate concepts. Voicing can refer to the articulatory process in which the vocal cords vibrate...
from voiceless
Voiceless
In linguistics, voicelessness is the property of sounds being pronounced without the larynx vibrating. Phonologically, this is a type of phonation, which contrasts with other states of the larynx, but some object that the word "phonation" implies voicing, and that voicelessness is the lack of...
to voiced, or vice versa, due to the influence of a phonological element in its phonological environment. Most commonly, the change is caused because of sound assimilation with an adjacent sound of opposite voicing, but it can also occur word-finally or in contact with specific vowel.
For example, English suffix -s is pronounced [s] when it follows a voiceless phoneme (cats), and [z] when it follows a voiced phoneme (dogs).
English
English no longer has a productiveProductivity (linguistics)
In linguistics, productivity is the degree to which native speakers use a particular grammatical process, especially in word formation. Since use to produce novel structures is the clearest proof of usage of a grammatical process, the evidence most often appealed to as establishing productivity is...
process of voicing stem-final fricatives when forming noun-verb pairs or plural
English plural
In the English language, nouns are inflected for grammatical number —that is, singular or plural. This article discusses the variety of ways in which English plurals are formed for nouns...
nouns.
- belief - believe
- life - live
- proof - prove
- strife - strive
- thief - thieve
- ba[θ] - ba[ð]e
- brea[θ] - brea[ð]e
- mou[θ] (n.) - mou[ð] (vb.)
- shea[θ] - shea[ð]e
- wrea[θ] - wrea[ð]e
- choi[s]e - choo[z]e
- hou[s]e (n.) - hou[z]e (vb.)
- u[s]e (n.) - u[z]e (vb.)
Synchronically
Synchronic analysis
In linguistics, a synchronic analysis is one that views linguistic phenomena only at one point in time, usually the present, though a synchronic analysis of a historical language form is also possible. This may be distinguished from diachronics, which regards a phenomenon in terms of developments...
, the assimilation at morpheme boundaries is still productive, such as in: :
- cat + s > cats
- dog + s > do[ɡz]
- miss + ed > mi[st]
- whizz + ed > whi[zd]
The voicing alternation found in plural formation is losing ground in the modern language,, and of the alternations listed below many speakers retain only the [f-v] pattern, which is supported by the orthography
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
. This voicing is a relic of Old English, the unvoiced consonants between voiced vowels were 'colored' with voicing. As the language became more analytic and less inflectional, final vowels/syllables stopped being pronounced. For example, modern knives is a one syllable word instead of a two syllable word, with the vowel 'e' not being pronounced. However, the voicing alternation between [f] and [v] still occurs.
- knife - knives
- leaf - leaves
- wife - wives
- wolf - wolves
The following mutations are optional:
- ba[θ] - ba[ð]s
- mou[θ] - mou[ð]s
- oa[θ] - oa[ð]s
- pa[θ] - pa[ð]s
- you[θ] - you[ð]s
- hou[s]e - hou[z]es
Sonorants (/l r w j/) following aspirated fortis plosives (that is, /p t k/ in the onsets of stressed syllables unless preceded by /s/) are devoiced such as in please, crack, twin, and pewter.
Initial voicing
Initial voicing is a process of historical sound changeSound change
Sound change includes any processes of language change that affect pronunciation or sound system structures...
where voiceless consonants become voiced at the beginning of a word. For example, modern German [ˈzaːɡn̩], Yiddish [ˈzɔɡn̩], and Dutch [ˈzɛɣə] (all "say") all begin with [z], which derives from [s] in an earlier stage of Germanic, as still attested in English say, Swedish [ˈsɛːja], and Icelandic [ˈseiːja]. Some English dialects were affected this as well, but it is rare in modern English. One example is fox (with the original consonant) compared to vixen (with a voiced consonant).
Final devoicing
Final devoicing is a systematic phonological process occurring in languages such as GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, among others. In these languages, voiced obstruent
Obstruent
An obstruent is a consonant sound formed by obstructing airflow, causing increased air pressure in the vocal tract, such as [k], [d͡ʒ] and [f]. In phonetics, articulation may be divided into two large classes: obstruents and sonorants....
s in the syllable coda
Syllable coda
In phonology, a syllable coda comprises the consonant sounds of a syllable that follow the nucleus, which is usually a vowel. The combination of a nucleus and a coda is called a rime. Some syllables consist only of a nucleus with no coda...
or at the end of a word
Word
In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own...
become voiceless.