tenuis
/ˈtɛnjuɪs/
noun
- A speech sound made without vibration of the vocal cords, such as p, t, or k.
- In linguistics class, we learned that 'p' is a tenuis because the vocal cords do not vibrate.
- Many languages have both tenuis and aspirated versions of the same consonant.
- The difference between a tenuis and a voiced sound is easy to feel by touching your throat.