Orthoepy (Noun)
Meaning 1
The way a word or a language is customarily spoken; "the pronunciation of Chinese is difficult for foreigners"; "that is the correct pronunciation".
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 2
A term formerly used for the part of phonology that dealt with the `correct' pronunciation of words and its relation to `correct' orthography.
Classification
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents.
Examples
- The linguist's work on orthoepy helped to establish standardized pronunciation guidelines for the language.
- In the 18th century, orthoepy was a major concern for language teachers, who sought to correct their students' pronunciation errors.
- The study of orthoepy was closely tied to the development of dictionaries, which often included pronunciation guides.
- Orthoepy was seen as a way to promote social mobility, as correct pronunciation was associated with education and refinement.
- The concept of orthoepy has largely fallen out of favor in modern linguistics, which emphasizes the diversity of language use over notions of "correct" pronunciation.