fortis (adj.)

A 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 strong degree of muscular effort and breath force, compared with some other sound (known as LENIS). The distinction between TENSE and LAX is used similarly. The labels ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ are sometimes used for the contrast involved, but these are more prone to AMBIGUITY. In English, it is the VOICELESS consonants ([p], [t], [f], [s], etc.) which tend to be produced with fortis articulation (their voiced counterparts being relatively weak), and often, when the voicing distinction is reduced, it is only the degree of articulatory strength which maintains a contrast between sounds. The term ‘fortis’ is sometimes used loosely to refer to strong VOWEL articulation also, but this is not a standard practice.