phonate
verb
pho·nate ˈfō-ˌnāt 
phonated; phonating
intransitive verb
: to produce vocal sounds and especially speech
phonation
fō-ˈnā-shən
noun 
Word History
Etymology
back-formation from phonation, borrowed from French, from Greek phōnḗ "voice, speech" + French -ation -ation — more at phono-
Note: The French word has been credited to the anatomist François Chaussier (1746-1828), but it is not clear where or even if he used it in a publication.
First Known Use
1876, in the meaning defined above