ORTHOEPY

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 31 May 2012

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Word of the Day:

  ORTHOEPY  (n. pl. ORTHOEPIES)


Definition(s):

1. (n.) the correct or accepted pronunciation of words
2. (n.) the study of correct pronunciation
3. (n.) the study of the relationship between the pronunciation of words and their spelling

Useful info for word game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: (none)
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: ORTHOEPIC (adj.), ORTHOEPIST (n.), ORTHOEPICALLY (adv.)

Current theme:

Language & Words

Epilogue:

When the contestants take the stage tonight in the finals of the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee, they will be listening carefully to the ORTHOEPIC utterances of the pronouncer, Dr. Jacques Bailly.  While pronunciation is not always a good indication of how to spell a word in English, it is nonetheless one of the key pieces of information that good spellers use to hone in on a word, along with etymology and meaning.

The word ORTHOEPY comes from Greek roots, a combination of orthos (“right, proper”) and epos (“word, speech”).  The orthos root is also part of a word that truly describes the speller’s bailiwick: ORTHOGRAPHY, which is the art or study of correct spelling.  The opposite is CACOGRAPHY, which is incorrect spelling, though you will not see much of that at the National Bee!

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =