Sonority: meaning, definitions and examples

๐Ÿ”‰
Add to dictionary

sonority

 

[ sษ™หˆnษ”หrษชti ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

linguistics

Sonority refers to the relative loudness or prominence of a speech sound in pronunciation. It is a key characteristic in the study of phonetics and phonology. The concept is used to classify sounds based on their acoustic properties and features, often ranking them from less to more sonorous. For example, vowels are generally more sonorous than consonants. Understanding sonority helps linguists analyze syllable structure and phonological phenomena.

Synonyms

audibility, loudness, resonance

Examples of usage

  • In English, vowels have higher sonority than most consonants.
  • The sonority hierarchy is important in phonological rules.
  • Sonority plays a role in determining syllable structure.

Translations

Translations of the word "sonority" in other languages:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น sonoridade

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เคงเฅเคตเคจเฅเคฏเคพเคคเฅเคฎเค•เคคเคพ

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Sonoritรคt

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ sonoritas

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ัะพะฝะพั€ะฝั–ัั‚ัŒ

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ sonornoล›ฤ‡

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ๅ…ฑ้ณด

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท sonoritรฉ

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ sonoridad

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท sesin kalitesi

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ์Œํ–ฅ

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ุตูˆุชูŠุฉ

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ sonorita

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ sonorita

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ้Ÿณๅ“ๆ€ง

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ sonornost

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ hljรณรฐgรฆรฐi

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ะถะฐั€า›ั‹ะฝะดั‹า›

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒกแƒแƒœแƒแƒ แƒแƒ‘แƒ

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ sษ™s keyfiyyษ™ti

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ sonoridad

Etymology

The word 'sonority' derives from the Latin word 'sonorus,' meaning 'sounding' or 'resounding.' This term found its way into English in the late 19th century, primarily used within the branch of linguistics that deals with the properties of sounds. Initially, it was utilized to describe the acoustic qualities of sounds not just in linguistic contexts, but also in music and other auditory studies. With the development of phonetics and phonology as formal fields of study, 'sonority' became a crucial term to help articulate the relative loudness and articulation of different classes of sounds. Today, sonority is widely recognized as an essential component in understanding how sounds interact in various languages and contribute to the formation of syllables.

Word Frequency Rank

At rank #29,865, this word represents specialized academic or technical vocabulary. It's less frequently encountered but may be valuable in specific contexts.