phonological

[ fohn-l-oj-i-kuhl, fon- ]

adjective

1. of or relating to phonology, the study of the distribution and patterning of speech sounds in languages generally:

   The course covers phonological processes such as vowel harmony, voicing, syllabication, and the placement of stress.

2. of or relating to the inventory of sounds, and the patterns governing them, in a specific language:

   I’m not used to this sound and don’t know how to pronounce it, as it doesn’t exist in my native English phonological system.

Other Words From

• pho·no·log·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of phonological¹

phonolog(y) ( def ) + -ical ( def )

Example Sentences

Collado's handling of the nasal sounds is too inconsistent to be a reliable source for phonological data.

From Project Gutenberg

Rodriguez' transcription better reflects the phonological facts; naraye, vomoye, and cuye.

From Project Gutenberg

Collado's transcription is unable accurately to express the proper phonological, or morphological, form of shin'i 'indignation.'

From Project Gutenberg

Of his contributions to reviews on phonological topics, perhaps the most important is his discussion of "Brugmann's Law."

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• linguistic
• semantic