Meanings
plural vocalizations
- countableuncountableThe act of vocalizing or something vocalized; a vocal utterance
- countableuncountableAny specific mode of utterance; pronunciation
- countableuncountablebiologyThe production of communication sounds with the syrinx or larynx (in tetrapods) or with the swim bladder (in fish)
- countableuncountablecommunicationsThe vowel diacritics in certain scripts, like Hebrew and Arabic, which are not normally written, but which are used in dictionaries, children's books, religious texts and textbooks for learners.
- countableuncountablecommunicationsThe addition of these diacritics and the respective phonemes to a word; the spoken form the word thereby receives.
- countableuncountablehuman sciencesThe change in pronunciation of historically or variably consonant (typically sonorant) sounds as vowels. For example, the syllabic /l/ in words like people or the coda one in words like cold or coal are variably realized as a high back vowel or glide—[ʊ], [u], [ɤ] or [o]—in many dialects of English in the US, UK, and the Southern Hemisphere. For example, in African American Vernacular English, one common pronunciation of the words "people", "cold", and "coal" is [pʰipʊ], [kʰoɤd], or [kʰoɤ] respectively.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe sound made by the vibration of vocal folds modified by the resonance of the vocal tract
nounthe use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*wekʷ-
- Proto-Indo-European*wṓkʷs
- Proto-Italic*wōks
- Latinvōx
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Latinvōcālis
- Middle Englishvocal
- Englishvocal
- Englishvocalize
- Englishvocalization
Translations
Arabic لَفْظ, نَطْق
- لَفْظ (lafẓ)specific mode of utterance
- نَطْق (naṭq)specific mode of utterance
- غِنَاء (ḡināʔ)production of musical sound
- تَشْكِيل (taškīl)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
Catalan vocalització, vocalització
- vocalitzacióact of vocalizing or something vocalized
- vocalitzacióspecific mode of utterance
- vocalitzacióproduction of musical sound
Chinese Mandarin 發聲 /发声, 發聲法 /发声法
- 發聲 /发声 (fāshēng)act of vocalizing or something vocalized
- 發聲法 /发声法 (fāshēngfǎ)specific mode of utterance
- 母音化 (mǔyīnhuà)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- 母音記號 /母音记号 (mǔyīn jìhao)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- 母音符號 /母音符号 (mǔyīn fúhào)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- 元音符號 /元音符号 (yuányīn fúhào)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
Dutch vocalisatie, vocalisering
- vocalisatiesupplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- vocaliseringsupplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
French vocalisation, vocalisation
- vocalisationact of vocalizing or something vocalized
- vocalisationsupplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
German Vokalisierung, Vokalisation
- Vokalisierungact of vocalizing or something vocalized
- Vokalisationsupplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- Vokalisierungsupplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
Hebrew ניקוד, חַרַכָּאת
- ניקוד (nikud)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- חַרַכָּאתsupplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
Hungarian hangadás, ejtés
- hangadásact of vocalizing or something vocalized
- ejtésspecific mode of utterance
- ejtésmódspecific mode of utterance
- kiejtésspecific mode of utterance
- artikulációspecific mode of utterance
- hangzó megnyilatkozásuse of speech to express an idea
- kimondásuse of speech to express an idea
- artikulálásuse of speech to express an idea
- kifejezésuse of speech to express an idea
- szavakba öntésuse of speech to express an idea
- éneklésproduction of musical sound
- dúdolásproduction of musical sound
Japanese 発声, 発声
- 発声 (hassei)act of vocalizing or something vocalized
- 発声 (hassei)specific mode of utterance
- シャクル (shakuru)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- 音声化 (onseika)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- 母音記号 (boin-kigō)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
Polish artykulacja, wymowa
- artykulacjaact of vocalizing or something vocalized
- wymowaact of vocalizing or something vocalized
- werbalizacjaact of vocalizing or something vocalized
- artykulacjaspecific mode of utterance
- wymowaspecific mode of utterance
- wypowiedźuse of speech to express an idea
- wokalizacjaproduction of musical sound
- wokalizacjasupplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- wokalizacjaphonology: the change in pronunciation of historically or variably consonant (typically sonorant) sounds as vowels
Russian вокализа́ция, интона́ция
- вокализа́ция (vokalizácija)act of vocalizing or something vocalized
- интона́ция (intonácija)specific mode of utterance
- произноше́ние (proiznošénije)specific mode of utterance
- вокализа́ция (vokalizácija)use of speech to express an idea
- вокализа́ция (vokalizácija)production of musical sound
- огласо́вка (oglasóvka)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- вокализа́ция (vokalizácija)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- ташки́ль (taškílʹ)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- харака́т (xarakát)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
- некудо́т (nekudót)supplying the vowels (diacritics), e.g. Arabic and Hebrew
Spanish vocalización, vocalización
- vocalizaciónact of vocalizing or something vocalized
- vocalizaciónspecific mode of utterance
- vocalizaciónproduction of musical sound
Cite this entry
vocalization. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vocalization
“vocalization.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vocalization. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vocalization,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vocalization.
Source: vocalization on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.