Vocalization
/ˌvoʊ.kəl.əˈzeɪ.ʃən/noun
The act or process of producing speech sounds or vocal sounds.
Did you know?The Latin root behind vocalization also produced words connected with calling, summoning, and public advocacy—why “giving something a voice” has such powerful symbolic force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wekʷ-
“To speak or utter; a reconstructed ancestral root associated with voice.”
Proto-Italic
Proto-Italic
*wōks
“Voice or speech; the ancestral Italic form that developed into Latin vox.”
Classical Latin
Latin
vōx, vōcis
“Voice, sound, utterance, or speech.”
Classical Latin
Latin
vocālis
“Vocal; relating to the voice or to sounds produced by the voice.”
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin
vocalizāre
“To vocalize or produce a sound with the voice.”
15th Century
English
vocalize
“To express in the voice or produce vocal sounds.”
18th Century
English
vocalization
“The act or process of vocalizing; later, the production of speech or other vocal sounds.”