Devoice

Devoice, in linguistics, is the process by which a consonant that is normally voiced becomes voiceless. The term is used both as a verb (to devoice) and as a noun (devoicing). Voicing refers to the vibration of the vocal folds during articulation; a devoiced consonant shows little or no vocal fold vibration.

Devoicing can be phonological, existing as a rule in a language, or phonetic, arising as an allophonic outcome of context. The most common environments are word or syllable boundary positions, where voiced obstruents become voiceless in final position (final devoicing). Devoicing can also occur through assimilation within a consonant cluster, where a voiced obstruent becomes voiceless before a following voiceless segment (regressive assimilation).

German provides a well-known example of final obstruent devoicing: the word Tag, meaning “day,” is pronounced [taːk], with a voiceless final [k]. The word Hund, meaning “dog,” is pronounced [hʊnt], with a voiceless final [t]. Dutch shows a similar pattern in standard pronunciation, where final voiced obstruents often surface as voiceless. In languages with final devoicing, spelling does not always reveal the underlying voicing.

Devoicing has implications for phonology and orthography, influencing how sounds are organized in a language and how they map to written forms. It is distinct from other phenomena, such as vowel devoicing, which is not a widespread or universal process and is discussed separately in phonetics.