Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SOTTO VOCE
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pronounce
SOTTO VOCE:
Say it "SOD oh VOE chee."
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connect this word to others:
In Latin, vox (or vocem) means "word, speech, language, voice, sound, cry, call, or utterance."
Vox and its related verb, vocare, trickled into all sorts of wonderful English words, from voice, vocal, evoke, advocate, equivocate, and vocabulary to fancier terms like voci___ous ("furiously loud"), vox p___li ("the voice of the people"), v___ voce ("by the living voice: said out loud"), and the one we're checking out today: sotto voce.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
The phrase "sotto voce" is Italian for "under voice," with Latin roots that mean "below voice."
Something sotto voce (or something said or done sotto voce) is said quietly or in a secret way.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Usually an adverb: "She answered sotto voce."
Also an adjective: "She gave a sotto voce answer."
Rarely, a noun: "I struggled to hear her sotto voce;" "the sotto voce of commentators at a golf tournament" (New York Times).
Other forms:
None. But you can italicize the phrase, if you want to emphasize its foreignness.
how to use it:
This phrase is fancy, sophisticated, and semi-common, and pretty easily understood in context.
Talk about someone saying something sotto voce. Or admitting something sotto voce, confiding in someone sotto voce, describing something sotto voce, replying to someone sotto voce, etc.
examples:
"[Seven-year-old Brick, on the show The Middle] likes to repeat the ends of his sentences in a sotto voce growl, which is unsettling."
— Lucy Mangan, The Guardian, 31 August 2010
"[Giorgio Chinaglia] was fluent in English and fearless in his opinions. He would say whatever he thought — arrogantly and loudly, if that suited his purpose, or sotto voce, with a conspiratorial arm around someone's shoulder, if that seemed likely to work better."
— Lawrie Mifflin, New York Times, 2 April 2012
has this page helped you understand "sotto voce"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "sotto voce" without saying "in a whisper" or "under your breath."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) admits, sotto voce, that (something is true)."
Serious example: "The migrants admit, sotto voce, that some are already thinking of leaving."
— Clea Caulcutt, BBC, 26 October 2016
Silly example: "I admit, sotto voce, that all red wines taste exactly the same."
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is Subject Line Matching!
Try matching each capitalized term below with the email subject line that introduced it. You can check your answers by scrolling all the way down. For an extra challenge, try recalling what each term means and how the subject line connects to it. Have fun!
COGENT: _____
EFFERVESCENT: _____
QUASH: _____
PIVOTAL: _____
RUSE: _____
I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today
my cup bubbleth over!!!
the Monty Python stomping foot
turning-pointy
we go together, like rama lama lama gimme liberty or gimme death
review this word:
A. CAREFULLY.
B. BEAUTIFULLY.
C. RESOUNDINGLY.
2.
According to Wikipedia, "in music, sotto voce is a dramatic _____ of the vocal or instrumental volume."
A. varying
B. lowering
C. lifting
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
In Latin, vox (or vocem) means "word, speech, language, voice, sound, cry, call, or utterance."
The phrase "sotto voce" is Italian for "under voice," with Latin roots that mean "below voice."
Part of speech:
This phrase is fancy, sophisticated, and semi-common, and pretty easily understood in context.
"[Seven-year-old Brick, on the show The Middle] likes to repeat the ends of his sentences in a sotto voce growl, which is unsettling."
Explain the meaning of "sotto voce" without saying "in a whisper" or "under your breath."
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) admits, sotto voce, that (something is true)."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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