phonotactics
[ foh-nuh-tak-tiks ]
noun(used with a singular verb)Linguistics.
the patterns in which the phonemes of a language may combine to form sequences.
the study and description of such patterns.
Origin of phonotactics
1First recorded in 1955–60; see origin at phonotactic, -ics
Words Nearby phonotactics
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British Dictionary definitions for phonotactics
phonotactics
/ (ˈfəʊnəʊˌtæktɪks) /
noun
(functioning as singular) linguistics the study of the possible arrangement of the sounds of a language in the words of that language
Origin of phonotactics
1C20: from phono- + -tactics, on the model of syntactic; see syntax
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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