a. and sb. [ad. L. sonant-, sonans, pres. pple. of sonāre to sound.]
A. adj. Uttered with voice or vocal sound; voiced.
1846. M. Williams, Sanscr. Gram., 14. Final a is changed to o before all sonant consonants.
1875. Whitney, Life Lang., iv. 57. The conversion of a surd into its corresponding sonant sound.
1894. Nation (N.Y.), LIX. 180/3. Surd explosive sounds are largely in excess of sonant explosives.
B. sb. A sonant articulation or letter.
1875. Whitney, Life Lang., iv. 46. We have changed the first p into a different but closely kindred sound, its corresponding sonant b.
1880. Athenæum, 2 Oct., 431/2. Why he should find it necessary to turn initial surd consonants wholesale into sonants, it is impossible to say.
Hence Sonantic a., of a sonant character; Sonantizing ppl. a., converting into a sonant.
1879. Whitney, Sanskr. Gram., 37. Vowels and semivowels and nasals exercise a sonantizing influence.
1892. Classical Rev., May, 189/2. The sonantic function of the … nasals.
