phonology

Meanings

Plural: phonologies

Noun

• the study of the sound system of a given language and the analysis and classification of its phonemes
• 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.
• 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.

Synonyms

orthoepy, phonemics, soundlore

Related Words

phonemics, phonics, tonology