Questions tagged [sounds]
for questions asking to describe a sound
108
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What is this sound called?
So, I know there is a word for this sound, but it's driving me nuts. For some reason I'm remembering troleling?
Basically, I'm asking what is the sound when someone goes like, "Tra la la dee dah!&...
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Looking for the right word to describe a chainsaw revving underwater in a menacing way [closed]
I am searching for the perfect word to describe a chainsaw sound. The chainsaw is revving under water (think Friday the 13th film). The actual sound is a boat motor but the receptor of said sound ...
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1
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What are the two /r/ sounds explained in this video?
This guy says here there are two ways of "making the /r/ sound". His explanation lacks academic rigor and necessary phonetic details. He claims the first way is: "It's like a /l/, with ...
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Opposite of wailing to describe how a cello sounds
I'm looking for a word to nicely describe how a cello sounds, and I think that an opposite of wailing might be a good description.
The definition for wail describes a high-pitched tone:
Wail
1 A ...
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What sound does a tornado siren make (onomatopoeia)?
I am trying to write a story about a paranormal tornado but don't know what to write to describe the sound of the tornado warning sirens.
I have tried stuff like waaaaaaaah, but it just doesn't feel ...
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1
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Throat sounds: is there a name? [closed]
Is there a word to describe the sounds we make in our throats? We ‘hmm’ or ‘mmmph’ involuntarily based on our emotions. The sounds are different based on our mother tongue.
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Word for the sound of a box cutter retracting: open and close [closed]
The sound of an exacto (box cutter) knife retracting in and out. Open and close. Sound effect.
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What do you call a microphone that is held beside the face?
I don't know a term denoting a microphone usually held on speaker's side of the face. See following image that shows in white:
I googled images pertaining to the types of microphone, but that did not ...
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Does /ɛ/ have more than one sound?
As a non-native speaker, I hear /ɛ/ as two different sounds depending on the word.
The first sound seems to occur in words such as bet and get and is closer to an /æ/ sound, while the second one ...
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How could people identify words by listening if they don't actually know it?
For example, someone just said "I would take you to flower house".
If the listener does not know "flower" and "house", Can he find that there are two words that he does ...
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What's the word / way to describe the sound we make when we get irritated?
What's that sound called which we make when we are irritated or disgusted, when we press both our lips together and make a sucking sound, with our teeth closed. It's similar to a kissing sound, but in ...
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Letter combinations that sound the same
I'm interested to see what combinations of letters sound like each other - there are of course the obvious ones:
c --> k or s
-ory --> I (pronounced ee)
f --> ph
What other ones are out there?...
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Is there a commonly accepted way of noting that a person makes a non-word sound in a transcription?
I'm transcribing the lyrics of a song into written text. Towards the end of it there's a short recording of someone telling a little anecdote about their day. As this audio reaches its end, he ...
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What is the difference between /a/ and /æ/?
I don't quite understand the difference between /a/ and /æ/.
Google gives the transcription for 'add' as /ad/, while Wiktionary returns /æd/.
Are these sounds actually distinct or is this just two ...
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Is /l/ in “whole” dark or clear?
Is /l/ in 'whole' dark or clear?
I know that a clear (palatalised) /l/ is in a prevocalic position; nonetheless, I also know that the dark /l/ (velarised) is usually at the end of words.
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How is the 'ng' in any word pronounced?
I am familiar with the phonetic sound of 'ng' together ( I am sorry I don't have a phonetic keyboard) and that there is a special way to pronounce it but some, including me, pronounce both letters and ...
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How would you describe the sound of flesh tearing?
How do you describe flesh-tearing?
Example
"I reel the fishing pole back and hear [word] as a dead squirrel comes back on the end of the line."
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Pronunciation of 'has' (/z/ or /s/) before /tʃ/
When 's' comes before a voiced consonant, it's usually pronounced as /z/.
Example: He has been banned. (here 's' is pronounced as /z/ because the following consonant is voiced.)
On the other hand, ...
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Voiced sounds after voiced and unvoiced after unvoiced
Why do we need a voiced sound after another voiced sound and voiceless after a voiceless sound in English?
Explanation:
Often in inflected forms, we need to add a voiced sound after the preceding ...
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Voiceless consonant -> voiced consonant before vowel?
I have noticed that voiceless sound at the end of a word becomes voiced when followed by a word that starts with a vowel.
For example: It has affected us (/s/) all => It has affected us (/z/) all.
I ...
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Linking words pronunciation /ng/ [duplicate]
Just wondering if the [g] sound is sometimes used to link a word ending in [ŋ] and a word beginning with a vowel sound. For example, can "hang out" be pronounced as /hang-gout/?
If you know any ...
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Difference between either and ether [closed]
Even though they mean completely different things why do either and ether sound so similar to eachother?
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I described text as sounding a certain way and someone said “I can’t hear him” what is what he did called?
This occurring on a thread of messages and someone previously commented and I replied mentioning they “sounded mad.” Someone then replied, “How is he sounding? I can’t hear him” What is what they did ...
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Name for phrases that sound the same but have different meanings?
Is there a special name for two phrases that have the same sound, but mean different things from each other? For example
Wishing well
Could be used in either the context of "I wish you well," or ...
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Are there any words describing normal breathing?
I am not sure but I can't find any words that describe normal calm breathing. Something that describes the exhale of a breath or blowing air out from your mouth. Not frantic or puffed breathing just ...
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Subject + sound + Adjective
I called after him, worried that I might have sounded ungrateful.
Unlike 'It sounds [Adjective].', if a person subject comes instead of 'it', what does the verb 'sound' mean?
I'm not sure for the ...
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In words like able, or candle does the l function as a vowel and the e function as a consonant?
I was recently told as part of my THRASS (phonics program for primary schools) training that in words ending in -le such as able, crumple, candle etc that the letter l functions as a vowel with the ...
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Devoicing 'Voiced consonants' to their counterparts
So, lately I've been really interested in devoicing voiced consonants to their counterparts. I've been studying painstakingly, so I would like to share it with you, and you can tell me if you agree ...
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Sound of ropes / strings / clothing material sliding against each other?
Think of the ropes of boats moored to a dock, but having to listen carefully (not loud and obvious) like 'creaking' or 'squeaking'.
It would have to denote friction without screeching - more like '...
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Word (adjective) to describe a harsh sound
Context: My brother just played a video with loud screeching noises in the background about 5 feet from me as I was reading a pleasant book. I turned to chastise him, exclaiming,
"John! Turn that ...
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The inconsistent long i sound in English [duplicate]
As a phonics teacher, I have long had a problem with finding the right explanation to my students about an inconsistent sound. Hope someone has the explanation to it here.
The long i sound in ...
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7
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Word for the sound of keyboard typing
Is there any word or phrase denoting the sound of typing on the keyboard?
I made my research, through which I found two words from Quora — a Q&A site; those two words are: "clicking" and ...
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A word denoting the sound of turning pages
The two words (adjectives) I found in Yahoo Answers site, that perhaps (I am not sure) describe the sound of turning pages, when they rifled by the wind: fluttering and flapping.
Other than those ...
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4
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Word for the sound produced while walking down the stairs
Here, I want the word pertaining to the sound of human footsteps while walking down the stairs. The word I am looking for, can be contrasted with the word of the sound of footsteps of army marching. I ...
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A name for the sound of liquid discharging from a bottle into a glass
Today, I googled, and could find the terms, like dip and plop.
Is there any word when we pour water into the glass, and we hear the sound produced within a bottle?
As I poured myself a drink, I ...
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3
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Verb for when cats meow other than meow itself
If
a dog barks "woof" (or some other variation)
a frog croaks "ribbit"
is there a verb for when cats "meow" other than "meow" itself?
I am specifically looking for a word that is usually only ...
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1
answer
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What happens phonetically in "words that"?
Could you explain to me what happens from the linguist’s point of view when the sounds meet in the speech?
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What is the type of sound-based language conversion called?
Background
I have been using the type of conversion for my Korean students when trying to get them to pronounce English words slightly more accurately.
I don't transcribe the meaning of the words. I ...
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2
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If a .midi is a sequence(d audio), what is a .wav or .mp3?
If a .midi is sequence(d audio), what is a .wav or .mp3? Streamed audio? Wave audio?
Edit: I know what the difference is/what they are, I'm asking about the terminology.
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General verb for animal making sound
English language has different verbs for different species of animals making sound, many are onomatopoeias. But is there a general verb that can be applied to an unnamed animal? e.g., can I say "I ...
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What's the word to describe the sound of a pebble (or pebbles) falling on a rock surface? Clack, tap, clank [closed]
What's the word that could best describe the sound of a pebble (or pebbles) falling on a rock surface? Clack, tap, clank...? Thanks!
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Do waves clash or collide, or both? [closed]
Are hard waves crashing on rocks? Do waves collide in the ocean?
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Word for sound made by tongue and teeth
I'm looking for a word that describes the sound made when a person rubs their tongue on the side of their inner teeth. It's like a wet noise and it's supposed to denote a positive gesture rather than ...
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Confusing 'r' sounds
In their kids song "Crazy ABCs", the Barenaked Ladies sing about words that start with confusing sounds:
A is for aisle
B is for bdellium
C is for czar
However, when the song gets to "r":...
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How to describe this metallic sound?
Link to the sound in question
Another example of the sound
I'm trying to write a sword fight scene where a swordsman is able to predict his opponent's next swing. And every time he does, he hears ...
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Why does the dictionary give the pronunciation of the word "of" as '\əv' with a 'v' sound when in some cases it's pronounced with 'f' sound?
"of" seems to be pronounced with the f sound asˈäf in phrases like "of course". But 'of' is pronounced as \əv in a lot of other cases.
Yet, Merriam Websters gives the one with 'v' sound as the only ...
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Filler sounds in English
I live in Australia, and I went back to Jordan for a holiday. I went to a barber's shop and as usual in there was a conversation between me and the barber.
All of a sudden he told me you don't live ...
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What's the name of this sound/collection of sounds?
What is it called when one expresses "Yes", "No", or "I Don't Know" without using words - just humming their response? You know, when someone responds with a low note than a high note for Yes or "Ah-...
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Do you hear words as sequences of smaller components?
This is the question of how to hear language sound. I think most of Japanese people hear Japanese words as a sequence of sound units which are the most fundamental. And, I guessed that this was true ...
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How do I describe the booting sound of some electronic devices?
I'm working on a scientific novel where I need to describe the futuristic drones are initiating and booting. How do I describe that kind of sound? The sound that is similar to the sound when an auto-...
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