sound law

English

Alternative forms

• sound-law (archaic)

Etymology

Calque of German Lautgesetz.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsaʊnd lɔː/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsaʊnd lɔ/, (cot–caught merger) /ˈsaʊnd lɑ/

Noun

sound law (plural sound laws)

1. (phonology) A rule that describes historical sound change (the change in pronunciation of a sound) in a language. [from 19th c.]
   • 1877, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, page 118.

     Then, to oversimplify, if there are similarities in sound and meaning between two words that do not obey the sound laws that have been established, we conclude that they have resulted from borrowing.

Translations

rule that describes historical sound change in a language

• Armenian: հնչյունական օրենք (hy) (hnčʻyunakan ōrenkʻ)
• Dutch: klankwet (nl) f
• Finnish: äännelaki
• French: loi phonétique f
• German: Lautgesetz (de) n
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: фонети́ческий зако́н m (fonetíčeskij zakón)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

Anagrams

• ould wans