soft utterance

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "soft utterance" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a gentle or quiet way of speaking, often conveying tenderness or subtlety. Example: "Her soft utterance filled the room with a calming presence, making everyone feel at ease."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Which was: a soft utterance.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

This state of affairs persisted for a period that even in retrospect remains incalculable: soft utterances belonging, it seemed, although I could not be sure, to more than one speaker; pauses; the sounds of movements human or animal; and my own stasis.

The New Yorker

When a chorus of huddled prisoners, including Sophie and her two children, are crammed into the boxcars of a train en route to Auschwitz, they sing soft, moaning utterances, as the strings play shimmering, parallel modal harmonies, while a wayward solo horn threads through the musical textures and a steady click-clack drum rhythm suggests the inexorable tread of the train.

The New York Times - Arts

Some in the party are appalled at her soft-edged utterances, and feud with her adviser, Kim Jong-in, whose sobriquet, "the father of economic democratisation", does not sound any better in Korean.

The Economist

Then came a pause, then a repetition of the utterance, equally soft, and then what sounded like a responsive utterance.

The New Yorker

For example, the verbal behaviour variable was the sum of silence, short utterance, one/two sentences and long utterance.

Cognitive Computation

Here we confront the imminent violation of the locus of lyric utterance, the throat's "soft meat".

The New York Times - Books

Figure 5 shows the learning curves obtained during building the hard and soft decision trees for 800 training utterances and 400 test sentences.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

Breathiness accompanied by a soft voice quality appeared rhythmically along the utterances of the speaker FYM (mother), when she was reading stories to her child.

EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing

For the n th utterance spanning Q frames, the co-occurrence soft count over a time delay τ for the cluster pair (θ a,θ b ) in Φ×Φ is defined as follows (see [23]): v n τ ( θ a, θ b ) = ∑ t i = 0 q − τ P t i, θ a P t i + τ, θ b (1).

EURASIP Journal on Audio, Speech, and Music Processing

When a participant's utterance was so loud that his/her vocalization might induce severe motion artifacts, or so soft that his/her voice data may fail to record, the participant was asked to change his/her behavior until his/her performance level fell within tolerance.

Cerebral Cortex

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "soft utterance" to describe speech that is not only quiet but also gentle or tender in its expression. It's particularly effective when describing intimate or emotionally charged moments.

Common error

Avoid using "soft utterance" when you mean unclear or ineffective communication. "Soft" refers to the gentleness of the sound, not the strength of the message. For unclear communication, consider phrases like "vague statement" or "ambiguous remark".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "soft utterance" functions as a noun phrase where the adjective "soft" modifies the noun "utterance". According to Ludwig AI, this expression is correct and usable in written English, typically denoting a gentle way of speaking.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

40%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "soft utterance" is a grammatically correct phrase used to describe a gentle and quiet way of speaking. Ludwig AI confirms its usability in written English. While not a common phrase, it effectively conveys tenderness or subtlety, particularly in descriptive or narrative contexts. Alternatives like "gentle murmur" or "quiet expression" can be used depending on the specific nuance intended. The phrase appears primarily in News & Media and Scientific sources, lending it a neutral to slightly formal tone.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

gentle murmur

Replaces "utterance" with "murmur", emphasizing a low, continuous sound.

quiet expression

Substitutes "utterance" with "expression", highlighting the communication aspect.

subtle remark

Uses "remark" instead of "utterance", implying a brief and understated comment.

softly spoken word

Emphasizes the manner of speaking using "softly spoken" and "word"

low whisper

Replaces "utterance" with "whisper", indicating a very quiet and private communication.

gentle tone

Focuses on the quality of voice rather than the content of the message.

hushed voice

Highlights the subdued nature of the voice used in the utterance.

muted sound

Shifts the focus from speech to any quiet, indistinct sound.

quiet statement

Uses "statement" to focus on the declarative nature of the utterance, delivered quietly.

softly expressed thought

Highlights the delicate communication of an idea.

FAQs

How can I use "soft utterance" in a sentence?

You might say, "Her "soft utterance" calmed the crying child" or "The "soft utterance" was barely audible in the crowded room".

What does "soft utterance" describe?

It describes speech that is quiet, gentle, and often tender in tone. It implies not only a low volume but also a delicate manner of speaking.

What are some alternatives to "soft utterance"?

Consider using alternatives such as "gentle murmur", "quiet expression", or "subtle remark" depending on the specific context.

Is "soft utterance" a common phrase in everyday conversation?

While grammatically correct, "soft utterance" isn't as common as simpler phrases like "quiet voice" or "gentle tone". Its usage is more suited to descriptive writing or formal contexts.