PRONUNCIATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pronunciation mean? 

• PRONUNCIATION (noun)
  The noun PRONUNCIATION has 2 senses:

1. the manner in which someone utters a word

2. the way a word or a language is customarily spoken

  Familiarity information: PRONUNCIATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PRONUNCIATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The manner in which someone utters a word

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

they are always correcting my pronunciation

Hypernyms ("pronunciation" is a kind of...):

utterance; vocalization (the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pronunciation"):

assibilation; sibilation (pronunciation with a sibilant (hissing or whistling) sound)

mispronunciation (incorrect pronunciation)

homophony (the same pronunciation for words of different origins)

accent; speech pattern (distinctive manner of oral expression)

articulation (the aspect of pronunciation that involves bringing articulatory organs together so as to shape the sounds of speech)

Derivation:

pronounce (speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The way a word or a language is customarily spoken

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

orthoepy; pronunciation

Context example:

that is the correct pronunciation

Hypernyms ("pronunciation" is a kind of...):

language; oral communication; speech; speech communication; spoken communication; spoken language; voice communication ((language) communication by word of mouth)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pronunciation"):

Received Pronunciation (the approved pronunciation of British English; originally based on the King's English as spoken at public schools and at Oxford and Cambridge Universities (and widely accepted elsewhere in Britain); until recently it was the pronunciation of English used in British broadcasting)

Derivation:

pronounce (speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way)

 Context examples 

My father, who taught me, is away, and I don't get on very fast alone, for I've no one to correct my pronunciation.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Wait till I get— He hesitated and assured himself of the pronunciation before he said "momentum.".

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Johnson has been guilty of speaking his mind too freely, and has collided two or three times with Wolf Larsen over the pronunciation of his name.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

It was English history: among the readers I observed my acquaintance of the verandah: at the commencement of the lesson, her place had been at the top of the class, but for some error of pronunciation, or some inattention to stops, she was suddenly sent to the very bottom.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Their pronunciation was quick, and the words they uttered, not having any apparent connection with visible objects, I was unable to discover any clue by which I could unravel the mystery of their reference.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

She helped him with his English, corrected his pronunciation, and started him on arithmetic.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Not more than six or eight will probably come, so I shall hire a beach wagon and borrow Mr. Laurence's cherry-bounce. (Hannah's pronunciation of char-a-banc.)

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Fortunately I had had the advantage of being taught French by a French lady; and as I had always made a point of conversing with Madame Pierrot as often as I could, and had besides, during the last seven years, learnt a portion of French by heart daily—applying myself to take pains with my accent, and imitating as closely as possible the pronunciation of my teacher, I had acquired a certain degree of readiness and correctness in the language, and was not likely to be much at a loss with Mademoiselle Adela.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

On the looking-glass were lists of definitions and pronunciations; when shaving, or dressing, or combing his hair, he conned these lists over.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Aunt's pronunciation is old-fashioned, and Flo and I, though we flattered ourselves that we knew a good deal, find we don't, and are very grateful to have Fred do the 'parley vooing', as Uncle calls it.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)