trivoiced

Trivoiced is a term used in phonetics and phonology to describe a proposed three-valued system of vocal-tract states, extending the common binary distinction between voiced and voiceless consonants. In a trivoiced framework, segments may be analyzed as exhibiting three distinct laryngeal settings, typically described as creaky-voiced, modal (voiced), and breathy-voiced.

In practice, trivoiced discussions focus on the idea that some languages or speech contexts produce contrasts that cannot be captured by a simple voiced–voiceless dichotomy. Acoustic correlates associated with the three states often include differences in fundamental frequency (F0), period irregularity, and spectral tilt. Creaky voice tends to lower F0 and increase glottal irregularity; breathy voice tends to raise F0 and produce a different spectral profile; modal voice sits between these extremes. Some researchers also consider duration and amplitude cues as part of the contrast.

The status of trivoiced as a rigorous, widely adopted phonological category remains limited. While a minority of experimental and theoretical works explore tri-valued laryngeal systems, the mainstream literature on consonant voicing typically treats voicing as binary, with separate analyses of phonation contrasts (often on vowels) such as creaky or breathy voice. Trivoiced discussions are therefore more common in exploratory studies and discussions of potential models rather than as a standard feature across languages.

Notation and analysis of trivoiced segments vary, with some proposals using multi-feature representations or autosegmental approaches to encode three laryngeal states. Further cross-linguistic evidence and perceptual studies are needed to establish the viability and typology of a true trivoiced system. See also voicing, phonation, creaky voice, breathy voice.