lenis (adj.)

A general term used in the PHONETIC classification of CONSONANT sounds on the basis of their MANNER OF ARTICULATION: it refers to a sound made with a relatively weak degree of muscular effort and breath force, compared with some other sound (known as FORTIS). The distinction between LAX and TENSE is used similarly. The labels ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ are sometimes used for the contrast involved, but these are more prone to ambiguity. In English, it is the VOICED CONSONANTS ([b], [d], [v], [z], etc.) which tend to be produced with lenis articulation (their voiceless counterparts being relatively strong), and often, when the voicing distinction is reduced, it is only the degree of articulatory strength which maintains a contrast between sounds. The term ‘lenis’ is sometimes used loosely to refer to weak vowel articulation also, but this is not a standard practice.