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Glite Dictionary
orthoepist

orthoepist

9.9
A person who studies how words are said and suggests spelling changes to match speech
  • noun
  • /ˌɔrθəˈɛpɪst/
  • Specialized
: ortoepista
  • The 18th-century orthoepist proposed numerous spelling reforms to standardize English pronunciation.

Examples

  • As an orthoepist, she devoted her career to documenting regional variations in spoken English.

  • An orthoepist can help improve your pronunciation.

  • Many orthoepists of the time were also lexicographers concerned with dictionaries and pronunciation guides.

  • Many orthoepists advocate for phonetic spelling.

  • An orthoepist analyzes the way words are pronounced to promote clearer communication.

  • As an orthoepist, she dedicated her career to improving the pronunciation of difficult words in the English language.

  • The orthoepist recommended changes to the spelling of certain words to reflect their common pronunciation.

Synonyms

phonologist
vsorthoepist
  • Specialized
1 8.7

A person who studies how speech sounds work in a language

focuses on changing pronunciation or spelling rather than analyzing sound systems
phonetician
vsorthoepist
  • Specialized
1 9.2

A person who studies the sounds people make when they speak

focuses on changing pronunciation or spelling to match actual speech

Surface Forms

orthoepist singular
orthoepists plural

Morphology

orthoepist = orthoepy (semi-transparent) = orthoepy + ist

A regular agentive derivation from the noun 'orthoepy' using the productive suffix '-ist' to denote a person concerned with that field.

Etymology

Orthoepist comes from ortho- meaning 'correct' and from orthoepy (built on a Greek root for 'speech'), with -ist meaning a person who does something. So an orthoepist is someone who cares about 'correct speech' and studies or tries to fix pronunciation and spelling to match how words are actually said.