Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sound law

/ˈsaʊnd lɔ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.98 in modern English

Syllables: sound law
IPA: /ˈsaʊnd lɔ/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A rule that describes historical sound change (the change in pronunciation of a given sound or cluster of sounds) in the development of a language.

Example Sentences

"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."
"In conclusion, we present the sound laws of Old Icelandic in the chronological order which represents the results of this dissertation."
"For reasons that will become clear shortly, this limitation of sound laws to a specific time is an important trait."

Etymology

Calque of German Lautgesetz.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈsaʊnd lɔ/
British English: /ˈsaʊnd lɔː/

Inflected Forms

sound laws (plural) sound-law (alternative, archaic)

Phrases

phonological change

Frequently Paired Words

aphaeresis apheresis apocope assimilation dissimilation elision epenthesis haplology

Questions

How do you pronounce sound law?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsaʊnd lɔ/.
What does sound law mean?: A rule that describes historical sound change (the change in pronunciation of a given sound or cluster of sounds) in the development of a language.
Where does sound law come from?: Calque of German Lautgesetz.

How to pronounce sound law

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