Phonology

Quick meaning: Phonology is a noun meaning (uncountable) The study of the way sounds function in languages, including accent, intonation, phonemes, stress, and syllable structure, and which sounds are distinctive units within a language; (countable) the way sounds function within a given language; a phonological system.

Meaning

(uncountable) The study of the way sounds function in languages, including accent, intonation, phonemes, stress, and syllable structure, and which sounds are distinctive units within a language; (countable) the way sounds function within a given language; a phonological system.

More Meanings

1. (by extension, uncountable) The study of the way components of signs function in a sign language, and which components are distinctive units within the language; (countable) the way components of signs function within a given sign language.

Example Sentences

The Achean, the ancient Malayu and other mixed phonologies possessing a considerable degree of harshness, were thus formed.

Sign language linguists have produced many volumes of description of the phonology and morphology of signs and the syntax of sign languages.

Crucially, the neat separateness of phonologies which my account seems to imply is an abstraction and does not mean that the phonologies represented different regional or social dialects.

Thus, underlying 'agtus' was converted first into 'āgtus' by the vowel lengthening rule, and then into 'āktus' by the ancient persistent rule. This example has previously been interpreted as indicating that new rules can enter a phonology elsewhere than at depth I.

Word Forms

• phonologies

Synonyms for phonology

Depending on context, synonyms include orthoepy, soundlore, phonemics.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include phonemics, phonetics, prosody, suprasegmentals, soundlore, metaphonology.

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