vocalism

From vocal +‎ -ism.

vocalism (plural vocalisms)

1. Speaking or singing.
   • 1984 December 29, Charles Henry Fuller, “Music For The Holidays”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 25:

     The exciting vocalism of Leontyne Price

2. (linguistics) The vowel sounds used in a language.
3. (linguistics) The vowels, sequence of vowels, or the quality peculiar to the vowels of a given word or group of words.
   • 2025, Cid Swanenvleugel, The Pre-Roman Elements of the Sardinian Lexicon, page 256:

     All forms contain a base *θirr- or *θurr-. Types 1 and 2 [which contain *θirr] may have been influenced by θirri̯are 'to screech', suggesting that the forms with *θurr- preserve the original vocalism.

• (vowel sounds used in a language): consonantism

Borrowed from French vocalisme.

vocalism n (uncountable)

1. vocalism