Fortis and lenis

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In linguistics, fortis and lenis (/ˈfɔːrtɪs/ FOR-tiss and /ˈliːnɪs, ˈlɛnɪs/ LEE-niss, LEN-iss;^[1] Latin for "strong" and "weak"), sometimes identified with 'tense' and 'lax', are pronunciations of consonants with relatively greater and lesser energy, respectively. English has fortis consonants, such as the p in pat, with a corresponding lenis consonant, such as the b in bat. Fortis and lenis consonants may be distinguished by tenseness or other characteristics, such as voicing, aspiration, glottalization, velarization, length, and length of nearby vowels. Fortis and lenis were coined for languages where the contrast between sounds such as 'p' and 'b' does not involve voicing (vibration of the vocal cords).^[2]

^ "lenis". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021.
^ Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996:95), pointing to Halle, Hughes & Radley (1957) as an example

[1] "lenis". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021.

[2] Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996:95), pointing to Halle, Hughes & Radley (1957) as an example

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