Nonvocalized

Nonvocalized is a linguistic term used to describe sounds produced without vocal fold vibration. In phonetic analysis, nonvocalized typically refers to voiceless portions of speech, most often the consonants described as voiceless in a given language (for example, p, t, k, f, s). These segments are produced with the glottis in a configuration that does not generate periodic vocal fold oscillation.

Vowels are normally vocalized, with phonation produced by vibrating vocal folds. Some languages exhibit devoicing of vowels in certain environments, but nonvocalized is primarily applied to consonantal sounds. In phonology and transcription, the feature is commonly represented as [-voice] or described as voiceless.

Applications and context: The distinction between vocalized and nonvocalized sounds is important in phonetics, phonology, and speech technology, including speech synthesis and automatic speech recognition. It helps describe how contrasts between types of sounds are perceived and modeled, and informs transcription across languages.

See also: voiceless, voiced, phonation, IPA, whispering.