Surd (Noun)
Meaning
A consonant produced without sound from the vocal cords.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The 's' in the word 'psalm' is an example of a surd, where air is pushed past the tongue but the vocal cords don't vibrate.
- The term 'surd' refers to the sounds made without vocal cord vibration, like the 'k' and 'p' in 'knock' and 'push'.
- Phonetics studies the properties of speech sounds, including surds like the 'th' in 'this' when spoken by a non-native speaker.
- Some linguists classify the voiceless sounds, such as 's' and 'sh', as surds, because they are made without any vibration from the vocal cords.
- The words 'plop' and 'splash' both start with surds, the voiceless sounds 'p' and 's' that do not require vibration of the vocal cords.