In linguistics, the notion of sonority is correlated with the relative loudness of speech sounds. Sonority is often claimed to be a governing force in the organization of sounds into syllables. However, there is widespread disagreement about how sonority should be expressed in our theoretical models of speech production and perception. This is the first book focusing entirely on sonority. The list of contributors includes many well-known specialists in the fields of phonology and phonetics. Alltwelve chapters in the volume present cutting-edge research on the function of sonority in linguistic systems. The controversial nature of the topic is reflected in the diverging opinions about the role of sonority in analyzing the world’s languages.