Pre-voicing (phonetics)
Encyclopedia
In phonetics
, prevoicing means that voicing
begins before the release of a stop consonant
. This means that the voice onset time
has a negative value. In the Extended IPA for speech pathology, this is transcribed with a voicing diacritic placed in front of the consonant, as in [ ̬z].
Phonemically
prevoiced consonants such as [dtʰ] and [dtsʼkxʼ] have been reported from some of the Khoisan languages
of Southern Africa, such as Ju/’hoan
and !Xóõ
. [dtʰ] is often analyzed as a single segment, a voice contour
. However, some linguists have analyzed it instead as a consonant cluster
with mixed voicing.
Phonetics
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech, or—in the case of sign languages—the equivalent aspects of sign. It is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds or signs : their physiological production, acoustic properties, auditory...
, prevoicing means that voicing
Phonation
Phonation has slightly different meanings depending on the subfield of phonetics. Among some phoneticians, phonation is the process by which the vocal folds produce certain sounds through quasi-periodic vibration. This is the definition used among those who study laryngeal anatomy and physiology...
begins before the release of a stop consonant
Stop consonant
In phonetics, a plosive, also known as an occlusive or an oral stop, is a stop consonant in which the vocal tract is blocked so that all airflow ceases. The occlusion may be done with the tongue , lips , and &...
. This means that the voice onset time
Voice onset time
In phonetics, voice onset time, commonly abbreviated VOT, is a feature of the production of stop consonants. It is defined as the length of time that passes between when a stop consonant is released and when voicing, the vibration of the vocal folds, or, according to the authors, periodicity begins...
has a negative value. In the Extended IPA for speech pathology, this is transcribed with a voicing diacritic placed in front of the consonant, as in [ ̬z].
Phonemically
Phoneme
In a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
prevoiced consonants such as [dtʰ] and [dtsʼkxʼ] have been reported from some of the Khoisan languages
Khoisan languages
The Khoisan languages are the click languages of Africa which do not belong to other language families. They include languages indigenous to southern and eastern Africa, though some, such as the Khoi languages, appear to have moved to their current locations not long before the Bantu expansion...
of Southern Africa, such as Ju/’hoan
Ju/’hoan language
' is a southern variety of the !Kung dialect continuum spoken by about 30,000 people in the northeast of Namibia and by another 5,000 in the Northwest District of Botswana. Four regional dialects are distinguished: Epukiro, Tsumkwe, Rundu, and Omatako, with Tsumkwe being the best...
and !Xóõ
!Xóõ language
Taa, also known as !Xoon or ǃXóõ, is a Khoisan language known for its large number of phonemes. As of 2002, it was spoken by about 4,200 people worldwide. These are mainly in Botswana , but some are in Namibia. The people call themselves ǃXoon or ‘N|ohan Taa, also known as !Xoon or ǃXóõ, is a...
. [dtʰ] is often analyzed as a single segment, a voice contour
Contour (linguistics)
In phonetics, contour describes speech sounds which behave as single segments, but which make an internal transition from one quality, place, or manner to another. These sounds may be tones, vowels, or consonants....
. However, some linguists have analyzed it instead as a consonant cluster
Consonant cluster
In linguistics, a consonant cluster is a group of consonants which have no intervening vowel. In English, for example, the groups and are consonant clusters in the word splits....
with mixed voicing.