Stimmhafter

Stimmhafter is a term used in German linguistics to describe sounds that are produced with vocal fold vibration. In English, the equivalent term is voiced. The opposite category is stimmlos, meaning voiceless. The word can function as an adjective, as in stimmhafter Laut (a voiced sound), or as a noun phrase referring to such a sound; the common noun form is typically phrased as ein stimmhafter Laut.

Voicing is a binary feature of many languages, including German. A stimmhafter consonant involves vocal fold vibration during articulation, while a stimmloser (voiceless) consonant does not. German phonology also shows devoicing: obstruents that occur in word-final position are often pronounced without voicing, even if underlyingly voiced. For example, a stimmhafter consonant at the end of a syllable may be realized as voiceless in coda position, as in the common pronunciation of certain words where the final consonant lacks vocal fold vibration.

Common examples in teaching and reference materials illustrate the contrast with pairs like a voiced-voiceless set of obstruents, such as b versus p, d versus t, and g versus k. Beyond stops, other consonants such as nasals, liquids, and certain fricatives can also be described as voiced in languages that make a voicing distinction. In German, the distribution of voiced versus voiceless segments interacts with spelling, dialectal variation, and processes like final-devoicing.

Stimmhafter thus functions as the standard label for the category “voiced” within German phonology and related linguistic descriptions. See also voicing, German phonology, and devoicing.