Skip to main content
fricativeness

fricativeness

9.9
A hissing or buzzing sound when air passes through a narrow gap in the mouth
  • noun
  • /ˌfrɪkəˈtɪv.nəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fricatividad
  • The fricativeness of the consonant can be heard in the hissing sound it produces.

Examples

  • The fricativeness of the /s/ sound is noticeable.

  • Linguists study the fricativeness of certain speech sounds to understand language patterns.

  • In some dialects, the fricativeness of 'th' is particularly strong.

  • In phonetics, fricativeness plays a crucial role.

  • The fricativeness of the /f/ sound creates a distinct hissing noise in words like 'fish.'

  • Linguists analyze the fricativeness of phonemes to differentiate between various speech sounds.

  • The fricativeness exhibited by consonants like /s/ can influence how clearly words are pronounced.

Synonyms

frication
vsfricativeness
  • Specialized
9.8

Making a sound by forcing air through a narrow gap in the mouth like the 's' sound

is the property of sounds produced that way rather than the action itself

How Noisy

sibilance
  • Specialized
7.6
fricativeness
  • Specialized
9.9
affricate
  • Specialized
9.9
stop consonant
  • Specialized
6.3

Surface Forms

fricativeness singular

Morphology

fricativeness = fricative (transparent) = fricative + ness

A straightforward nominalization: '-ness' forms 'the quality or state of being fricative'.

Etymology

Fricativeness comes from the same root as fricative, which goes back to the Latin fricare 'to rub' and is like the English word friction. A helpful image is air 'rubbing' through a very small gap to make a hissing or buzzing sound, so that 'rubbing' idea explains why fricativeness describes sounds made by forcing air through a narrow opening.