Sonorant: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Phonemes produced with continuous non-turbulent airflow}} |
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In [[phonetics]] and [[phonology]], a '''sonorant''' or '''resonant''' is a [[speech sound]] that is [[manner of articulation|produced]] with continuous, non-turbulent airflow in the [[vocal tract]]; these are the manners of articulation that are most often [[voice (phonetics)|voiced]] in the world's languages. [[Vowel]]s are sonorants, as are |
In [[phonetics]] and [[phonology]], a '''sonorant''' or '''resonant''' is a [[speech sound]] that is [[manner of articulation|produced]] with continuous, non-turbulent airflow in the [[vocal tract]]; these are the manners of articulation that are most often [[voice (phonetics)|voiced]] in the world's languages. [[Vowel]]s are sonorants, as are [[semivowel]]s like {{IPA|[j]}} and {{IPA|[w]}}, [[nasal consonant]]s like {{IPA|[m]}} and {{IPA|[n]}}, and [[liquid consonant]]s like {{IPA|[l]}} and {{IPA|[r]}}. This set of sounds contrasts with the [[obstruent consonant|obstruents]] ([[stop consonant|stops]], [[affricate]]s and [[fricative]]s).<ref>Keith Brown & Jim Miller (2013) ''The Cambridge Dictionary of Linguistics''</ref> |
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For some authors, only the term ''resonant'' is used with this broader meaning, while ''sonorant'' is restricted to the consonantal subset—that is, nasals and liquids only, not [[vocoid]]s (vowels and semivowels).<ref>Ken Pike, ''Phonetics'' (1943:144). "The sonorants are nonvocoid resonants and comprise the lateral resonant orals and resonant nasals (e.g. [m], [n], and [l])."</ref> |
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==Types== |
==Types== |
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Whereas [[obstruent]]s are frequently [[voiceless]], sonorants are almost always voiced. |
Whereas [[obstruent]]s are frequently [[voiceless]], sonorants are almost always voiced. In the [[sonority hierarchy]], all sounds higher than [[fricative]]s are sonorants. They can therefore form the [[syllable nucleus|nucleus]] of a [[syllable]] in languages that place that distinction at that level of sonority; see [[Syllable]] for details. |
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In the [[sonority hierarchy]], all sounds higher than [[fricative]]s are sonorants. They can therefore form the [[syllable nucleus|nucleus]] of a [[syllable]] in languages that place that distinction at that level of sonority; see [[Syllable]] for details. |
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Sonorants contrast with [[obstruents]], which do stop or cause turbulence in the airflow. The latter group includes [[fricative]]s and [[stop consonant|stops]] (for example, {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/t/}}). |
Sonorants contrast with [[obstruents]], which do stop or cause turbulence in the airflow. The latter group includes [[fricative]]s and [[stop consonant|stops]] (for example, {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/t/}}). |
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Among consonants pronounced in the back of the mouth or in the throat, the distinction between an approximant and a voiced fricative is so blurred that no language is known to contrast them.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} Thus, [[uvular consonant|uvular]], [[pharyngeal consonant|pharyngeal]], and [[glottal consonant|glottal]] fricatives never contrast with approximants. |
Among consonants pronounced in the back of the mouth or in the throat, the distinction between an [[approximant]] and a voiced fricative is so blurred that no language is known to contrast them.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} Thus, [[uvular consonant|uvular]], [[pharyngeal consonant|pharyngeal]], and [[glottal consonant|glottal]] fricatives never contrast with approximants. |
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===Voiceless=== |
===Voiceless=== |
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Voiceless sonorants are rare; they occur as [[phoneme]]s in only about 5% of the world's languages.<ref>Ian Maddieson (with a chapter contributed by Sandra Ferrari Disner); ''Patterns of sounds''; Cambridge University Press, 1984. {{ISBN|0-521-26536-3}}</ref> They tend to be extremely quiet and difficult to recognise, even for those people whose language has them. |
Voiceless sonorants are rare; they occur as [[phoneme]]s in only about 5% of the world's languages.<ref>Ian Maddieson (with a chapter contributed by Sandra Ferrari Disner); ''Patterns of sounds''; Cambridge University Press, 1984. {{ISBN|0-521-26536-3}}</ref> They tend to be extremely quiet and difficult to recognise, even for those people whose language has them. |
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In every case of a voiceless sonorant occurring, there is a contrasting voiced sonorant. In other words, whenever a language contains a phoneme such as {{IPA|/ |
In every case of a voiceless sonorant occurring, there is a contrasting voiced sonorant. In other words, whenever a language contains a phoneme such as {{IPA|/ʍ/}}, it also contains a corresponding voiced phoneme such as {{IPA|/w/}}.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} |
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Voiceless sonorants are most common around the [[Pacific Ocean]] (in [[Oceania]], [[East Asia]], and [[North America|North]] and [[South America]]) and in certain language families (such as [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]], [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]], [[Na-Dene languages|Na-Dene]] and [[Eskimo–Aleut languages|Eskimo–Aleut]]). |
Voiceless sonorants are most common around the [[Pacific Ocean]] (in [[Oceania]], [[East Asia]], and [[North America|North]] and [[South America]]) and in certain language families (such as [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]], [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]], [[Na-Dene languages|Na-Dene]] and [[Eskimo–Aleut languages|Eskimo–Aleut]]). |
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==Examples== |
==Examples== |
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[[English phonology|English]] has the following sonorant consonantal phonemes: {{IPA|/l/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /ɹ/, /w/, /j/}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Consonants |publisher= UCL DEPT OF PHONETICS & LINGUISTICS |date=September 19, 1995 |url=http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/sampa/english.htm | |
[[English phonology|English]] has the following sonorant consonantal phonemes: {{IPA|/l/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /ɹ/, /w/, /j/}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Consonants |publisher= UCL DEPT OF PHONETICS & LINGUISTICS |date=September 19, 1995 |url=http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/sampa/english.htm |access-date=July 30, 2012}}</ref> |
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[[Old Irish phonology|Old Irish]] had one of the most complex sonorant systems recorded in linguistics, with 12 coronal sonorants alone. [[Coronal consonant|Coronal]] [[lateral consonant|laterals]], [[nasal consonant|nasals]], and [[rhotic consonant|rhotics]] had a [[fortis and lenis|fortis–lenis]] and a [[palatalization (phonetics)|palatalization]] contrast: {{IPA|/N, n, Nʲ, nʲ, R, r, Rʲ, rʲ, L, l, Lʲ, lʲ/}}. There were also {{IPA|/ŋ, ŋʲ, m/}} and {{IPA|/mʲ/}}, making 16 sonorant phonemes in total.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1467-968X.1973.tb01017.x |title=The Growth of Palatalization in Irish |journal=Transactions of the Philological Society |volume=72 |pages=127–136 |year=1973 |last1=Greene |first1=David }}</ref> |
[[Old Irish phonology|Old Irish]] had one of the most complex sonorant systems recorded in linguistics, with 12 coronal sonorants alone. [[Coronal consonant|Coronal]] [[lateral consonant|laterals]], [[nasal consonant|nasals]], and [[rhotic consonant|rhotics]] had a [[fortis and lenis|fortis–lenis]] and a [[palatalization (phonetics)|palatalization]] contrast: {{IPA|/N, n, Nʲ, nʲ, R, r, Rʲ, rʲ, L, l, Lʲ, lʲ/}}. There were also {{IPA|/ŋ, ŋʲ, m/}} and {{IPA|/mʲ/}}, making 16 sonorant phonemes in total.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1467-968X.1973.tb01017.x |title=The Growth of Palatalization in Irish |journal=Transactions of the Philological Society |volume=72 |pages=127–136 |year=1973 |last1=Greene |first1=David }}</ref> |
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Voiceless sonorants have a strong tendency to either revoice or undergo [[fortition]], for example to form a [[fricative]] like {{IPA|/ç/}} or {{IPA|/ɬ/}}.{{examples|date=February 2015}} |
Voiceless sonorants have a strong tendency to either revoice or undergo [[fortition]], for example to form a [[fricative]] like {{IPA|/ç/}} or {{IPA|/ɬ/}}.{{examples|date=February 2015}} |
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In connected, continuous speech in [[North American English]], {{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/d/}} are usually [[Flapping|flapped]] to {{IPAblink|ɾ}} following sonorants, including vowels, when followed by a vowel or syllabic {{IPA|/l/}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ifla.uni-stuttgart.de/institut/mitarbeiter/jilka/teaching/dialectology/d10_GAGC.pdf|title=North American English: General Accents|website=Universität Stuttgart - Institut für Linguistik| |
In connected, continuous speech in [[North American English]], {{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/d/}} are usually [[Flapping|flapped]] to {{IPAblink|ɾ}} following sonorants, including vowels, when followed by a vowel or syllabic {{IPA|/l/}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ifla.uni-stuttgart.de/institut/mitarbeiter/jilka/teaching/dialectology/d10_GAGC.pdf|title=North American English: General Accents|website=Universität Stuttgart - Institut für Linguistik|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421051053/http://ifla.uni-stuttgart.de/institut/mitarbeiter/jilka/teaching/dialectology/d10_GAGC.pdf|archive-date=21 April 2014|access-date=26 April 2019|page=6}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
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*{{SOWL}} |
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[[Category:Manner of articulation]] |
[[Category:Manner of articulation]] |
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Latest revision as of 22:18, 6 June 2024
In phonetics and phonology, a sonorant or resonant is a speech sound that is produced with continuous, non-turbulent airflow in the vocal tract; these are the manners of articulation that are most often voiced in the world's languages. Vowels are sonorants, as are semivowels like [j] and [w], nasal consonants like [m] and [n], and liquid consonants like [l] and [r]. This set of sounds contrasts with the obstruents (stops, affricates and fricatives).[1]
For some authors, only the term resonant is used with this broader meaning, while sonorant is restricted to the consonantal subset—that is, nasals and liquids only, not vocoids (vowels and semivowels).[2]
Types
[edit]Whereas obstruents are frequently voiceless, sonorants are almost always voiced. In the sonority hierarchy, all sounds higher than fricatives are sonorants. They can therefore form the nucleus of a syllable in languages that place that distinction at that level of sonority; see Syllable for details.
Sonorants contrast with obstruents, which do stop or cause turbulence in the airflow. The latter group includes fricatives and stops (for example, /s/ and /t/).
Among consonants pronounced in the back of the mouth or in the throat, the distinction between an approximant and a voiced fricative is so blurred that no language is known to contrast them.[citation needed] Thus, uvular, pharyngeal, and glottal fricatives never contrast with approximants.
Voiceless
[edit]Voiceless sonorants are rare; they occur as phonemes in only about 5% of the world's languages.[3] They tend to be extremely quiet and difficult to recognise, even for those people whose language has them.
In every case of a voiceless sonorant occurring, there is a contrasting voiced sonorant. In other words, whenever a language contains a phoneme such as /ʍ/, it also contains a corresponding voiced phoneme such as /w/.[citation needed]
Voiceless sonorants are most common around the Pacific Ocean (in Oceania, East Asia, and North and South America) and in certain language families (such as Austronesian, Sino-Tibetan, Na-Dene and Eskimo–Aleut).
One European language with voiceless sonorants is Welsh. Its phonology contains a phonemic voiceless alveolar trill /r̥/, along with three voiceless nasals: velar, alveolar and labial.
Another European language with voiceless sonorants is Icelandic, with [l̥ r̥ n̥ m̥ ɲ̊ ŋ̊] for the corresponding voiced sonorants [l r n m ɲ ŋ].
Voiceless [r̥ l̥ ʍ] and possibly [m̥ n̥] are hypothesized to have occurred in various dialects of Ancient Greek. The Attic dialect of the Classical period likely had [r̥] as the regular allophone of /r/ at the beginning of words and possibly when it was doubled inside words. Hence, many English words from Ancient Greek roots have rh initially and rrh medially: rhetoric, diarrhea.
Examples
[edit]English has the following sonorant consonantal phonemes: /l/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /ɹ/, /w/, /j/.[4]
Old Irish had one of the most complex sonorant systems recorded in linguistics, with 12 coronal sonorants alone. Coronal laterals, nasals, and rhotics had a fortis–lenis and a palatalization contrast: /N, n, Nʲ, nʲ, R, r, Rʲ, rʲ, L, l, Lʲ, lʲ/. There were also /ŋ, ŋʲ, m/ and /mʲ/, making 16 sonorant phonemes in total.[5]
Sound changes
[edit]Voiceless sonorants have a strong tendency to either revoice or undergo fortition, for example to form a fricative like /ç/ or /ɬ/.[example needed]
In connected, continuous speech in North American English, /t/ and /d/ are usually flapped to [ɾ] following sonorants, including vowels, when followed by a vowel or syllabic /l/.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Keith Brown & Jim Miller (2013) The Cambridge Dictionary of Linguistics
- ^ Ken Pike, Phonetics (1943:144). "The sonorants are nonvocoid resonants and comprise the lateral resonant orals and resonant nasals (e.g. [m], [n], and [l])."
- ^ Ian Maddieson (with a chapter contributed by Sandra Ferrari Disner); Patterns of sounds; Cambridge University Press, 1984. ISBN 0-521-26536-3
- ^ "Consonants". UCL DEPT OF PHONETICS & LINGUISTICS. September 19, 1995. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ Greene, David (1973). "The Growth of Palatalization in Irish". Transactions of the Philological Society. 72: 127–136. doi:10.1111/j.1467-968X.1973.tb01017.x.
- ^ "North American English: General Accents" (PDF). Universität Stuttgart - Institut für Linguistik. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-19815-6.
