Sonority Scale

Understanding the Sonority Scale

The sonority scale is a linguistic concept that ranks speech sounds based on their perceived loudness or prominence. This scale is not about physical intensity but rather how a sound is perceived by a listener. It plays a significant role in phonetics and phonology.

Key Concepts

• Vowels are generally more sonorous than consonants.
• Among vowels, open vowels (like /a/) are more sonorous than closed vowels (like /i/ or /u/).
• Among consonants, sonorants (like nasals, liquids, and glides) are more sonorous than obstruents (stops, fricatives, and affricates).
• Within sonorants, nasals are typically less sonorous than liquids, and glides are less sonorous than vowels.
• Within obstruents, fricatives are more sonorous than stops.

The Typical Sonority Hierarchy

A commonly accepted sonority hierarchy, from most to least sonorous, is:

1. Vowels (e.g., /a/, /i/, /u/)
2. Glides (e.g., /j/, /w/)
3. Liquids (e.g., /l/, /r/)
4. Nasals (e.g., /m/, /n/, /ŋ/)
5. Voiced Fricatives (e.g., /v/, /z/, /ʒ/)
6. Voiceless Fricatives (e.g., /f/, /s/, /ʃ/)
7. Voiced Stops (e.g., /b/, /d/, /g/)
8. Voiceless Stops (e.g., /p/, /t/, /k/)

Applications and Significance

The sonority scale helps explain various phonological phenomena, including:

• Syllable structure: Sounds tend to rise in sonority towards the syllable nucleus (vowel) and then fall.
• Phonological processes: Explains why certain sound changes occur, like epenthesis or assimilation.
• Speech perception: Contributes to how listeners segment and understand speech.
• Prosody: Influences stress and intonation patterns.

Challenges and Misconceptions

It’s important to note that the sonority scale is a generalization. Actual perceived loudness can be influenced by factors like amplitude, duration, and context. It’s a theoretical construct aiding linguistic analysis, not a rigid physical law.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is sonority the same as volume?

A: No. While related, sonority is about perceptual prominence, not just physical decibels. A whispered ‘ah’ might be physically quieter than a shouted ‘p’, but ‘ah’ is more sonorous.

Q: How does sonority affect syllable formation?

A: Syllables often follow a sonority principle: sounds increase in sonority towards the vowel and decrease afterward, forming a sonority contour.