Äänillinen

äänillinen is a Finnish adjective meaning voiced. It is used in phonetics and linguistics to describe speech sounds. Specifically, it refers to sounds produced with vibration of the vocal cords. This contrasts with voiceless sounds, which are produced without vocal cord vibration.

Examples of voiced sounds in Finnish include vowels such as a, e, i, o, u, y, ä, and ö, as well as consonants like b, d, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, and also the double consonants in Finnish, like bb, dd, gg, etc. The distinction between voiced and voiceless sounds is phonemically important in many languages, including Finnish. For instance, the difference between /p/ (voiceless) and /b/ (voiced) can distinguish between words. However, Finnish does not have a direct /p/ vs /b/ contrast as separate phonemes in the same way English does. Instead, the voiced stops (b, d, g) are often considered allophones of their voiceless counterparts (p, t, k) in certain contexts, or they appear in loanwords.

In phonetics, the voicing of a sound is determined by the state of the glottis. During the production of voiced sounds, the vocal cords are brought close together and vibrate as air passes through them. This vibration creates a periodic pattern in the airflow, which is perceived as voice. The absence of this vibration characterizes voiceless sounds. Understanding the concept of äänillinen is crucial for the accurate description and analysis of speech sounds and phonological systems.