Phonetic Meaning
/fəˈnɛt.ɪk/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjRelating to the sounds of spoken language.
adjRelating to phones (as opposed to phonemes).
Sentence Examples
Can you read phonetic signs?
English is not a phonetic language.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The linguist used special symbols to represent the ____ sounds of the language.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The dictionary provided a ____ transcription of each word to help readers pronounce it correctly.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Latin phōnēticus, from Ancient Greek φωνητῐκός (phōnētĭkós). By surface analysis, phone + -etic.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I suspect that 田 dien is the original character and true phonetic of the whole group."
— 1887–88, J. Edkins, “The character 眞 true”, in The China Review, volume 16, page 306:
"In the first case the character is pronounced identically, even as to tone, as the phonetic."
— 1984, John DeFrancis, The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy:
"Or, the semantic may wrap around the phonetic, or position within the phonetic."
— 2013, William S-Y. Wang, Love and War in Ancient China: Voices from the Shijing, page 25:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The linguist used special symbols to represent the ____ sounds of the language.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The dictionary provided a ____ transcription of each word to help readers pronounce it correctly.