phonetic law

noun

, Historical Linguistics.

1. a statement of some regular pattern of sound change in a specific language, as Grimm's law or Verner's law.

Example Sentences

We find occurring in surnames examples of those consonantal changes which do not violate the great Phonetic law that such changes can only occur regularly within the same group, i.e. that a labial cannot alternate with a palatal, or a dental with either.

From Project Gutenberg

According to phonetic law the latter word should have become litch in modern English; but it very early underwent a punning alteration which made it homophonous with the ancient word for physician.

From Project Gutenberg

Language as a Historical Product: Phonetic Law Parallels in drift in related languages.

From Project Gutenberg

Phonetic law as illustrated in the history of certain English and German vowels and consonants.

From Project Gutenberg

We have in it a splendid example of how a simple phonetic law, meaningless in itself, may eventually color or transform large reaches of the morphology of a language.

From Project Gutenberg