Häältega

Häältega is an Estonian word that translates to "with voices" or "voiced" in English. It is most commonly used in linguistics to describe the phonation of speech sounds. Specifically, it refers to sounds produced with the vibration of the vocal cords. In contrast to voiceless sounds, which are produced without vocal cord vibration, voiced sounds involve the adduction and rapid vibration of the vocal folds during articulation.

The distinction between voiced and voiceless sounds is a fundamental feature of phonology in many languages, including Estonian. For example, in Estonian, the consonants /b/, /d/, and /g/ are voiced, while their voiceless counterparts are /p/, /t/, and /k/. This means that when producing /b/, the vocal cords vibrate, whereas when producing /p/, they do not. Similarly, vowels in Estonian are always voiced.

The perception of voicing can be detected by placing a hand on the throat and feeling for vibrations when a sound is made. A buzzing sensation indicates a voiced sound. This phonetic feature plays a crucial role in distinguishing word meanings in languages where such minimal pairs exist. While "häältega" is a direct translation, the concept it represents is universally understood in phonetics and phonology as the presence of vocal fold vibration during sound production.