vocalic

Of vowel sounds

Vocalic means relating to or consisting of vowels.

In linguistics, a vocalic sound is produced with an open vocal tract—the vowels a, e, i, o, u and their variations.

A vocalic system refers to a language's inventory of vowel sounds: English has a complex vocalic system compared to Spanish.

The term contrasts with consonantal.

phonetics

diphthong

Complex vowel gliding between positions

monophthongSteady, ungliding vowel sound
schwaNeutral unstressed vowel
semivowelConsonant articulated like vowel

glide · phoneme · allophone · syllable · nucleus · sonority · articulation · phonation · pronunciation · enunciation

articulation

palatal

Concerning mouth's roof

labialRelating to lips
velarSoft-palate speech sound
alveolarOf tooth sockets

coronal · dorsal · dental · glottal · pharyngeal · bilabial · apical · rounded · unrounded · front

prosody

pitch

Frequency of sound

toneQuality of sound
stressPressure, mental or vocal
rhythmPatterned stress and silence

cadence · intonation · melody · modulation · accentuation · emphasis · inflection · phrasing · contour · lilt

resonance

sonority

Richness of tone

timbreSound's distinctive character
murmurSoft, indistinct continuous sound
liquidFree-flowing substance

nasality · harmonic · formant · overtone · vibration · quality · richness · clarity · brightness · warmth

Opposites

phonetic manner of articulation

vocalicconsonantal

Of obstructed speech sounds

plosive · fricative · stop · affricate · nasal

Phrases

backup vocalistSecondary singer supporting lead
vocal cordsSound-producing throat membranes
lead vocalistPrimary singer in group
vocal ensembleGroup of singers
vocal rangeSinger's pitch span
vocal coachTrains singers professionally

Family

vocal, vocalize, vocalist, vocally, vocalized, vocalization, vocalizing, vocalizes, univocal

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