Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

chain shift

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.31 in modern English

Syllables: chain shift
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A phonological modification of a vowel system or sometimes consonant system in which a change in a particular vowel or consonant causes other adjacent vowels or consonants to also change in order to avoid phonemic mergers.

Example Sentences

"Many non-Antipodeans cannot readily distinguish Australian and New Zealand English, because the phonologies basically overlap with the exception of an upwards chain shift in the front vowels."

Inflected Forms

chain shifts (plural)

Questions

What does chain shift mean?: A phonological modification of a vowel system or sometimes consonant system in which a change in a particular vowel or consonant causes other adjacent vowels or consonants to also change in order to avoid phonemic mergers.

How to pronounce chain shift

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “chain shift”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “chain shift”.
Repeat and practice — Say “chain shift” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.