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frontality

frontality

9.9
A vowel sound made with the tongue near the front of the mouth
  • noun
  • /frənˈtælɪti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : frontalidad
  • The frontality of the vowel sounds is crucial in phonetics.

Examples

  • Researchers analyzed the frontality of speech sounds in different dialects.

  • A high degree of frontality is typical in certain regional accents.

  • The frontality of the vowel distinguishes it from other sounds in the language.

  • In linguistics, frontality affects how we perceive different accents.

  • The frontality of the vowel distinguishes it from other sounds in the language.

  • Researchers analyzed the frontality of speech sounds in different dialects.

  • A high degree of frontality is evident in how speakers emphasize specific vowel sounds.

Synonyms

anteriority
vsfrontality
  • Specialized
9.9

The position at the front of a body near the head

refers specifically to sounds made at the front of the mouth rather than position

How Front

frontality
  • Specialized
9.9
front vowel
  • Specialized
6.5
central vowel
  • Specialized
8.4
back vowel
  • Specialized
7.0

Surface Forms

frontality singular
frontalities plural

Morphology

frontality = frontal (transparent) = front + al + ity

Derived by adding '-ity' to 'frontal' to name the property of being frontally articulated; the phonetic sense is a straightforward specialization of 'frontal'.

Etymology

Frontality comes from the word front, from Latin frons meaning 'forehead' or 'front'. In speech this same idea applies: a sound with more 'frontality' is made with the tongue near the front of the mouth. So frontality describes how forward a vowel or sound is.