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phonology

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Phonology is defined as the study of sound patterns and their meanings, both within and across languages.

(noun)

An example of phonology is the study of different sounds and the way they come together to form speech and words - such as the comparison of the sounds of the two "p" sounds in "pop-up."
An example of phonology is the study of the movements the body goes through in order to create sounds - such as the pronounciation of the letter "t" in "bet," where the vocal chords stop vibrating causing the "t" sound to be a result of the placement of the tongue behind the teeth and the flow of air.

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See phonology in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

the study of speech sounds, including phonetics and phonemics
an overall description of the sounds of a given language

Origin: phono- + -logy

Related Forms:

See phonology in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. pho·nol·o·gies

The study of speech sounds in language or a language with reference to their distribution and patterning and to tacit rules governing pronunciation.
The sound system of a language: the phonology of English.

Related Forms:

pho·no·logˈic (fōˌnə-lŏjˈĭk), phoˌno·logˈi·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adjective

phoˌno·logˈi·cal·ly adverb

pho·nolˈo·gist noun

Learn more about phonology

phonology synonyms

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