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): /ˈɔː.θəʊˌiː.pi/, /ˈɔː.θəʊˌɛ.pi/, /ˈɔː.θəʊ.ɨ.pi/, /ɔː.ˈθəʊ.ɨ.pi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹ.θoʊˌɛ.pi/, /ɔɹˈθoʊ.ə.pi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

orthoepy (countable and uncountable, plural orthoepies)

1. Synonym of phonology: the study of pronunciation. [1640]

   Antonym: cacoepy

2. 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.

• linguistics, phonetics

• orthography

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

• orophyte