Pronunciation

Pronunciation

Pronunciation

Way a word or a language is spoken


Pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language is spoken. This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in speaking a given word or language in a specific dialect ("correct" or "standard" pronunciation) or simply the way a particular individual speaks a word or language.

Words' pronunciations can be found in reference works such as dictionaries. General-purpose dictionaries typically only include standard pronunciations, but regional or dialectal pronunciations may be found in more specific works.[1] Orthoepy means pronunciation considered correct, or the study thereof.

A word can be spoken in different ways by various individuals or groups, depending on many factors, such as: the duration of the cultural exposure of their childhood, the location of their current residence, speech or voice disorders,[2] their ethnic group, their social class, or their education.[3]

Linguistic terminology

Syllables are combinations of units of sound (phones), for example "goo" has one syllable made up of [g] and [u]. The branch of linguistics which studies these units of sound is phonetics. Phones which play the same role are grouped together into classes called phonemes; the study of these is phonemics or phonematics or phonology. Phones as components of articulation are usually described using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).[4]

See also


References

  1. The Oxford Handbook of Lexicography, 2016, page 303
  2. Beech, John R.; Harding, Leonora; Hilton-Jones, Diana (1993). "Assessment of Articulation and Phonology". In Grunwell, Pam (ed.). Assessment in Speech and Language Therapy. CUP Archive. p. 55. ISBN 0-415-07882-2.
  3. Paulston, Christina Bratt; Tucker, G. Richard (February 14, 2003). "Some Sociolinguistic Principles". In Labov, William (ed.). Sociolinguistics: The Essential Readings. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 234–250. ISBN 0-631-22717-2.

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