voiceless
/ˈvɔɪsləs/ (bre, ipa) · [vˈɔɪsləs] /ˈvɔɪsləs/ (ame, ipa) · [vˈɔɪsləs] /ˈvȯis-ləs How to pronounce voiceless (audio)/ (ame, mw)
voiceless — 形容詞
- voicelesspositive
- more voicelesscomparative
- most voicelesssuperlative
1. used for people or groups who cannot make their views or needs known, typically
無發言權
沒有權力表達意見的
used for people or groups who cannot make their views or needs known, typically because they have no power or say in how decisions are made.
Rural farmers in the valley felt voiceless when officials changed water policies without asking them.
山谷裡的農村農民在官方未經徵詢就改變用水政策時，感到自己毫無發言權。
feel voiceless + when-clause showing context
The documentary gave a platform to voiceless communities whose stories had never been heard.
這部紀錄片為那些故事從未被人聽聞的無聲社區提供了發聲平台。
give a platform to + voiceless communities
Without access to education, generations of women remained voiceless in public decision-making.
由於沒有受教育機會，世代女性在公共決策中始終沒有發言權。
Local activists started a community radio station so voiceless groups could share their concerns.
當地社運人士創辦了一個社區電台，讓無發言權的群體能夠分享他們的擔憂。
The voiceless fire victims finally found a lawyer to represent them in court.
無發言權的火災受害者終於找到律師在法庭上代表他們。
- silenced
implies someone actively prevented the group from speaking; stronger sense of oppression
- unheard
focuses on nobody listening, not necessarily lack of power to speak
- disenfranchised
more specific to legal or voting rights; more formal register
- marginalized
focuses on being pushed to the edges of society; broader than voiceless
- vocal
expresses opinions freely and forcefully
- represented
has someone to speak on behalf of the group
文法句型
feel + voiceless
remain + voiceless
voiceless + noun (community / group / population)
用法筆記
Common in discussions of social justice, human rights, and political representation. Frequently paired with verbs like 'remain', 'feel', 'leave', and prepositions such as 'in' (in the debate) and 'from' (from decision-making).
常見錯誤
2. describes a speech sound that is made without moving the vocal cords, so the sou
清音的
發音時聲帶不振動的
describes a speech sound that is made without moving the vocal cords, so the sound comes only from air passing through the mouth — for example, /p/, /t/, /k/, /s/, /f/, and /ʃ/ in English.
In English, the /p/ sound is voiceless, while /b/ is its voiced equivalent.
在英語中，/p/ 是清音，而 /b/ 是其對應的濁音。
X is voiceless, while Y is voiced — contrasting pair
The teacher had students place a hand on their throat to feel voiceless sounds.
老師讓學生將手放在喉嚨上，感受清音的發音方式。
Daichi struggled with the voiceless 'th' sound because his language has no such sound.
Daichi 對於 'think' 當中的清音 th 感到困難，因為他的母語沒有這種音。
The /f/ in 'fast' is voiceless, but the /v/ in 'vast' is voiced.
'fast' 當中的 /f/ 是清音，而 'vast' 當中的 /v/ 是濁音。
In a whisper, every syllable becomes voiceless because the vocal cords do not vibrate.
低聲說話時，每個音節都變成清音，因為聲帶不震動。
- voiced
produced with vibration of the vocal cords
文法句型
[sound] + is + voiceless
voiceless + [sound/consonant]
用法筆記
A technical term in phonetics. Often taught in pairs with 'voiced' to help learners distinguish similar sounds. Common minimal pairs include /p/ vs /b/, /t/ vs /d/, /k/ vs /g/, /f/ vs /v/, /s/ vs /z/.
常見錯誤
3. unable to produce speech, especially temporarily, because of illness, injury, sh
失聲的
因疾病或受傷而無法說話的
unable to produce speech, especially temporarily, because of illness, injury, shock, or a medical procedure.
After throat surgery, Jason was temporarily voiceless and wrote notes to communicate.
Jason 在喉部手術後暫時失聲，只能靠寫字條來溝通。
temporarily voiceless + after surgery
The shock of the car crash left the driver voiceless for several hours.
車禍的驚嚇讓駕駛失聲了好幾個小時。
After a stroke, Roya's grandmother was voiceless, but the family learned to interpret her gestures.
中風後，Roya 的祖母失聲了，但家人學會了用手勢來理解她。
A throat infection left Beatrix voiceless for a week, so she typed on her phone.
嚴重的喉嚨感染讓 Beatrix 失聲了一週，她只好用手機打字。
After the tube was removed, the patient was voiceless and wrote notes.
拔管之後，病人無法說話，只能寫字條。
- mute
broader term; can describe permanent inability or a choice not to speak
- speechless
usually emotional or surprising cause, not medical; temporary
- aphonic
medical term for loss of voice due to vocal cord issues; very formal
- vocal
able to speak and use one's voice freely
文法句型
be/become/remain + voiceless
leave + [person] + voiceless
用法筆記
Describes a temporary loss of voice caused by a specific event, not a permanent condition from birth. More specific than 'mute', which can describe lifelong inability to speak. In medical records, 'aphonic' is the clinical term.