In phonetics, 'non-voiced' (also referred to as 'voiceless' or 'unvoiced') describes a speech sound produced without vibration of the vocal cords. These sounds, like 'p,' 't,' and 's,' are created by airflow alone through the vocal tract, as opposed to their voiced counterparts like 'b,' 'd,' and 'z' where vocal cords vibrate to create the sound. The absence of vocal cord vibration defines their characteristic sound.
Non-voiced meaning with examples
- The English word 'ship' contains the non-voiced sound /ʃ/ represented by 'sh.' Air flows smoothly over the tongue and palate during its pronunciation, without any vibration of the vocal cords. This creates its distinct and characteristic voiceless quality, differentiating it from voiced sounds.
- When pronouncing the word 'hat,' the initial 'h' is non-voiced. The vocal cords remain open and air simply passes through, producing a breathy sound. The absence of vocal cord vibration is crucial for correctly articulating the sounds to get a clear and understandable pronunciation.
- In the sentence 'The cat sat,' the sounds /k/, /t/, and /s/ within 'cat' and 'sat' are all non-voiced. You can feel the difference by placing your hand on your throat; there should be no vibration when these sounds are made, distinguishing them from their voiced pairs.
- The final 's' in 'books' is a non-voiced sound. The sound /s/ requires airflow to create this sound. The lack of vocal cord vibration is one of the basic aspects of distinguishing these words from their plural counterparts.
- Contrast the initial sounds in 'pat' (non-voiced /p/) and 'bat' (voiced /b/). The difference in sound arises directly from whether or not the vocal cords vibrate during the production of the sounds. Practice the non-voiced sounds to improve clarity.