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sound structure

sound structure

7.0
The way small spoken parts are arranged to make words
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : estructura sonora
  • Children who were reading below their age levels were also delayed in their ability to understand the sound structure of spoken language at the phonemic level and to use phonological knowledge in the reading process.
  • the sound structure of language
  • the sound structure of words
  • awareness of the sound structure

They fail to appreciate the internal sound structure of words.

Examples

  • Phonological awareness refers to sensitivity to the sound structure of oral language.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Phonological awareness—awareness of the sound structure of language—provides the foundation for language literacy development (Moats, 1999; Yopp & Yopp, 2000).

    Academic text (2011)
  • Part of the process of teaching reading involves instruction in the sound structure of speech.

    Academic text (2007)
  • They fail to appreciate the internal sound structure of words.

  • PATR was designed to foster children's awareness of the sound structure of words.

    Academic text (2001)
  • These adult-to-child and child-to-child interactions related to phonological awareness indicate an environment that promotes the awareness of the sound structure of words.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Its sound structure resembles that of Finno-Ugric languages, and parallels and allusions to her can be found in Finno-Ugrian mythology.

    Academic text (2000)
  • It was no surprise, then, that the National Reading Panel identified phonemic awareness, the ability to analyze sound structure at the level of individual speech sounds, as one of five vital components of early literacy instruction (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000).

    Academic text (2014)
  • Thus, the Archive data are noteworthy because they were collected within a public school system at a time when early elementary literacy instruction focused minimally on sound-symbol correspondences and the underlying sound structures of words.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Part of the process of teaching reading involves instruction in the sound structure of speech.

Synonyms

phonology
vssound structure
  • Specialized
1 8.7

The study of how a language uses and organizes sounds

is about permissible sound arrangements in words rather than the academic field
phonotactics
vssound structure
  • Specialized
9.9

Rules in a language about which sounds can go together and where they can appear

focuses on permitted arrangement in words rather than specific rule labels
word structure
vssound structure
  • Specialized
4.5

The way sounds or parts join to make a word

highlights permitted arrangements as linguistic constraints not general organization
syllable structure
vssound structure
  • Specialized
6.9

How speakers arrange sounds inside one part of a word

covers arrangement in whole words rather than only within syllables
phonological system
vssound structure
  • Specialized
7.3

A set of speech sounds and rules for using them in a language

focuses on allowed ordering in words rather than the overall sound inventory
phonologic system
vssound structure
  • Specialized
6.9

The system of sounds used in a language to make words

concerns permitted arrangements in words rather than the sound system itself

Surface Forms

Morphology

sound + structure

The noun 'structure' (organization of parts) is transparent, and if a learner interprets 'sound' in the relevant noun sense ('speech sounds') the phrase compositionally means 'the structure/organization of sounds', which is straightforward. However, 'sound' here is a domain-specific noun (and the input lists it as an adjective meaning 'reliable'), so many B1 learners who only know the common adjective sense or who lack phonetics knowledge will not reliably derive the intended technical meaning without exposure. This mismatch and register-specific usage makes the item only partially predictable to learners.

Etymology

Sound structure is a compound noun that paints speech as a small building: each sound is a block and the structure is how the blocks are put together. So, it means 'how sounds are arranged in words' and helps explain how words are pronounced.