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phonotactics

American  
[foh-nuh-tak-tiks] / ˌfoʊ nəˈtæk tɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

  1. the patterns in which the phonemes of a language may combine to form sequences.

  2. the study and description of such patterns.

phonotactics British  
/ ˈfəʊnəʊˌtæktɪks /

noun

  1. (functioning as singular) linguistics the study of the possible arrangement of the sounds of a language in the words of that language

"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

Etymology

Origin of phonotactics

First recorded in 1955–60; phonotactic, -ics

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.