orthoepy

• orthoëpy
• orthoepie, orthöepy (obsolete)

From Ancient Greek ὀρθοέπεια (orthoépeia), possibly via Latin orthoepia, from Ancient Greek ὀρθός (orthós, “correct”) + ἔπος (épos, “word”) + -ία (-ía, “-y”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːθəʊˌiːpi/, /ˈɔːθəʊˌɛpi/, /ˈɔːθəʊɨpi/, /ɔːˈθəʊɨpi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹθoʊˌɛpi/, /ɔɹˈθoʊəpi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

orthoepy (countable and uncountable, plural orthoepies)

1. Synonym of phonology: the study of pronunciation. [1640]
2. (inexact) Synonym of orthography: the study of the representation of pronunciation in writing.
   • 1957, E.J. Dobson, English Pronunciation 1500–1700, Vol. I, p. 193:

     In spite of his title Orthoepia Anglicana... what he sets out to teach is orthography, not orthoepy.

3. Accepted or customary pronunciation. [1773]

• The rare ligated spelling orthœpy is unetymological. It occurs in some instances of 19th century US English, apparently to indicate the trisyllabic pronunciation prevalent in US English. The oe in orthoepy does not represent either of the etymological diphthongs ⟨oe⟩ (of Latin) or ⟨οι⟩ (oi — the omicron-iota of Ancient Greek), but rather the two separate vowels ⟨οε⟩ (oe, omicron-epsilon). To mark their separateness, the diæretic spelling orthoëpy is sometimes used.

• (pronunciation): cacoepy

• linguistics, phonetics

• orthography

• orthoepic, orthoepical, orthoepically, orthoepist, orthoepistic, orthoepistical

• “orthoepy, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

• orophyte