phonetic feature

[/fəˈnɛtɪk ˈfiːtʃər/]
nounpl: phonetic features
traço fonético
1. A distinctive characteristic or property of a speech sound that distinguishes it from other sounds in a language
Voicing is a phonetic feature that differentiates /p/ from /b/.
A sonoridade é um traço fonético que diferencia /p/ de /b/.
2. An observable acoustic or articulatory property used in phonetic analysis and description of sounds
Place of articulation is an important phonetic feature in consonant classification.
O ponto de articulação é um traço fonético importante na classificação de consoantes.
3. In linguistics, a minimal unit of sound variation used to distinguish meaning in speech
Nasality is a phonetic feature that affects the quality of vowels.
A nasalidade é um traço fonético que afeta a qualidade das vogais.
This is technical linguistic terminology used primarily in academic and educational contexts in both English-speaking countries and Brazil. It's fundamental to the study of phonetics, linguistics, and speech pathology. The term is standardized across English and Portuguese academic discourse.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
sound featureacoustic featurearticulatory featurespeech characteristic

Regional Variations

General Brazilian Portuguese
traço fonético
Standard term used in linguistics education and research
Portugal
traço fonético
Same usage as Brazilian Portuguese; standard linguistic terminology
Academic English (USA)
phonetic feature
Commonly used in phonetics and linguistics textbooks and research

Related Words

phonemeallophonedistinctive featurevoicingplace of articulationmanner of articulationprosodysuprasegmental feature
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