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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ Vocal sound 🔤 Vowel system
vocalism

vocalism

8.9
The sound a person makes with their voice when parts of the throat vibrate
  • noun
  • /ˈvoʊkəlɪzəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vocalismo
  • During the workshop, participants explored various techniques to improve their vocalism.

Examples

  • While it is true that singers cannot hear themselves as others do, they can, with practice, begin to discern the sounds and sensations associated with efficient vocalism.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Linguists study vocalism to understand how sounds are produced and modified in spoken language.

  • The professor emphasized the importance of vocalism in distinguishing different dialects of English.

Synonyms

voice
vsvocalism
∞ 1.0

The sound a person makes when speaking or singing

is the phonetic concept focusing on those sounds as studied scientifically
vocalization
vsvocalism
  • Specialized
6 5.2

A sound a person or animal makes with the voice to communicate

is the linguistic study of those sounds as utterances
voiced sound
vsvocalism
  • Specialized
4.1

A speech sound made when the vocal cords in your throat move quickly

is the broader scientific term covering all such utterances and sounds

Surface Forms

vocalism singular
vocalisms plural

Morphology

vocalism = vocal (semi-transparent) = vocal + ism

Formed regularly from 'vocal' + '-ism', but the noun is specialized (technical/academic) and its exact meaning may not be predictable to general learners.

Etymology

Vocalism comes from the Latin root vocal meaning 'voice' and the ending -ism meaning 'system' or 'practice'. So vocalism can mean the actual sounds made by the voice, the noises produced by the vocal cords.