Kõlause

Kõlause is a concept in Estonian linguistics referring to the phonetic phenomenon where a voiceless consonant becomes voiced at the beginning of a word when it follows a voiced consonant. This occurs across word boundaries, meaning it can happen when one word ends in a voiced consonant and the next word begins with a voiceless consonant. The voiceless consonant assimilates the voicing feature of the preceding sound, becoming voiced.

For example, if a word ending in 'd' (voiced) is followed by a word beginning with 't' (voiceless), the 't' might be pronounced as 'd'. This process is common in spoken Estonian and helps to create a smoother, more fluid pronunciation. The effect is that the transition between the two sounds is less abrupt, as both sounds share the same voicing characteristic.

Kõlause is a form of assimilation, a widespread phonetic process where sounds become more similar to their environment. It is not a change in the underlying phonemic structure of the words themselves, but rather a variation in their pronunciation in connected speech. Understanding kõlause is important for comprehending the natural flow of spoken Estonian and for accurate phonetic transcription. The exact conditions and extent of kõlause can vary slightly depending on regional dialects and individual speech patterns.