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As with any technical field, learning phonetics involves learning a new set of vocabulary. I don’t give my students vocabulary tests per se, but I do expect them to be able to understand and use phonetic vocabulary. Most people learn vocabulary more easily if they have some sort of memory hook that relates the new vocabulary to something they already know. Another technique is to make up a story that somehow incorporates the new vocabulary item. If a vocabulary item is morphologically complex, and the meaning of some if its morphemes are already known, then this can cut down on the amount of new information to be learnt. My aim here is to provide students of phonetics with aids to learning vocabulary.
Most phonetic vocabulary items used in English have Greek or Latin origin, and so the memory hooks I present will be the Greek and Latin etymologies of the morphemes making up the English words. Some vocabulary items which appear to be arbitrary strings of letters on the page, are self explanatory once one knows the meaning of each of their morphemes.
This is not a book about etymology, and only a minimal amount of etymological research was conducted during the writing process (even if the etymology is wrong, it may still help a student to learn the vocabulary). Neither is this a dictionary; the reader is presumed to have obtained the meaning of the words from introductory textbooks or classroom presentations. In common with a dictionary, however, the words are presented in alphabetical order and their pronunciations and parts of speech are provided.
This is still a work in progress, should the reader find any errors or have suggestions for additions, they are encouraged to contact the author at gsm2@ualberta.ca
last update: 25 April 2006
© 2004/2005/2006 Geoffrey Stewart Morrison

2 acoustic /ækustk/ adjective
Greek • κούω akouoo to hear.
ala /ælæ/ noun
Latin Ā LA wing.
allo– /ælo/ prefix
Greek – λλος allos other.
alveolar /ælviol/ or /ælvilr/ adjective alveolar ridge, alveolus /ælvils/ noun, plural alveoli /ælvilai/
Latin diminutive of ALVEUS a hole or hollow. In phonetics the term has two references: In the alveolar ridge the alveoli are the sockets that the teeth fit into. In the lungs the alveoli are the sacs at the end of the final branches of the lungs.
apical /æpkl/ adjective, combinatory form apico –, noun apex
Latin
APEX
point.
approximant /prksmnt/ noun
Latin PROXIMUS nearest.
articulatory /rtkjultri/ adjective
Latin ARTICUL Ā RE to divide into joints. ARTUS joint.
aspirated /aspretd/ adjective
Latin
SPIR Ā RE
to breathe.
arytenoid /ærtnid/ adjective arytenoid cartilages but plural arytenoids can be used as a noun, combinatory form ary–
Greek • ρύταινα arutaina a small pail or large label for drawing water. • ρύω to draw water. Plus the suffix –oid . The arytenoid cartilages are ladle shaped , if you have a detailed enough picture you should be able to figure out which part is the handle and which part the bowl.
auditory /dtri/ adjective
Latin AUDIRE to hear. See auris .
auricle /aurkl/ or /rkl/ noun
Latin
AURICULA
external ear. See auris .
auris /aurs/ or /rs/ noun
Latin AURIS ear.
basilar /bæslr/ adjective
Latin BASILARIS from BASIS base.

3 bronchia /brki/ noun, plural bronchi , bronchial adjective
Greek βρόχος brochthos throat.
buccinator /bknetr/ noun
Latin BUCCINA trumpet.
cepstrum /kpstum/ noun, cepstral /kpstl/ adjective
An anagram of spectrum / spectral.
cochlea /kklæ/ noun, cochlear adjective
Greek κοχλίας kochlias a snail with a spiral shell.
corniculate /krnkjulet/ adjective corniculate cartilages
From Latin
CORNICUL Ā TUS
horned.
CORNICULUM
little horn. The corniculate cartilages are little horns on the arytenoid cartilages. See cornu .
cornu /krnu/ noun, plural cornua
Latin CORNUU horn. The word is related to the English words corner and cornet.
Corti /krti/ proper name, organ of Corti
19 th century Italian anatomist Alfonso Corti .
cricoid /kraikid/ adjective cricoid cartilage , combinatory from crico–
Greek κρίκος krikos a ring, plus the suffix –oid . The cricoid cartilage is shaped like a ring.
dental /dntl/ adjective, dento – combinatorial form
Latin DENT Ā LIS tooth. Related to the English word dentist.
depressor /dprsr/ noun
Latin D Ē PREIMERE , prefix DE – down, plus PREMERE to press. Related to English word depression.
diaphragm /daifræm/ noun
Greek διάφραγμος diafragma a barrier / the midriff. διά – prefix meaning through, between, across
Plus φράγμα fence.
digastricus /daiæstkus/ noun
Latin prefix DI – two, plus GASTRICUS from Greek γαστήρ gasteer belly.
diphthong /dp/ noun
Greek δίς dis twice, double. Plus φθόγγος fthongos a sound.
dorsal /drsl/ adjective, combinatory form dorso –, noun dorsum
Latin DORSUM back. Dolphins have a dorsal fin.

4 egressive /irsiv/ adjective
Latin Ē GRESSUS , prefix EX – meaning out of, plus GRADI to step or go.
ejective /idktv/ noun or adjective
Latin EJICERE , prefix EX – out of, plus JACERE to throw.
epi– /pi/ prefix
Greek preposition ¦ πι epi on, above, or over. The epicentre is the point on the earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake. The epiglottis is above the glottis.
etymology /tmldi/ noun, etymological adjective
Greek ¦ τυμος etumos true, real. Plus λόγος logos word and thought
Eustachian /justen/ adjective Eustachian tube
16 th century Italian anatomist Bartolomeo Eustachio .
falsetto /flsto/ noun or adjective
Italian falso false.
formant /frmænt/ noun
Latin FORMA shape.
fricative /frktv/ noun
Latin
FRIC Ā RE
to rub. Related to the English word friction.
genio – /nio/ or /dnio/ combinatory form
Greek γένιον geneion chin. γένυς genus the underjaw.
glottis /lts/ noun, adjectival form glottal
Greek γλωττίς gloottis is the mouthpiece of a smoking pipe. The glottis should look something like the opening in a pipe’s mouthpiece. See also –glossus .
– glossus /lsus/ noun
Greek γλ ä σσα gloosa tongue.
helicotrema /hlikotrimæ/ or /xlikotremæ/
Greek © λικτός heliktos curved, twisted (see helix ), plus τρ − μα treema perforation, hole.
helix /hilks/ or /hlks/ noun
Greek ª λιξ helix a spiral, a coil, a curl, a twist. © λίσσω helissoo to turn round.
Hertz /hrtz/ unit of measure
19 th century physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz .

5 hyoid /haiid/ adjective or noun, hyo – combinatory form
Shaped like the Greek letter υ u ( ß ψιλόν hupsilon ). See oid .
incus /kus/ or /ks/ noun
Latin INCUS anvil. INC Ū DERE to forge.
ingressive /nrsiv/ adjective
Latin INGRESSUS , prefix IN – in to, plus GRADI to step or go.
labial /læbil/ or /lebil/ adjective, combinatorial form labio – , plural noun labii
Latin
LABIUM
lip.
lamina /læminæ/ noun, plural laminae /læmini/ , adjectival forms laminar and laminal , combinatory form lamino–
Latin LAMINA means a thin plate. Related to the English word laminate.
larynx /lærks/ noun, plural /lrndiz/ , adjectival form laryngeal /lrndl/ , combinatory form laryngo – /lrio/
Greek λάρυγξ larungx the upper part of the windpipe. λαρυγγίζω larungizoo to shout loudly. See also pharynx .
lateral /lætrl/ adjective
Latin LATUS side.
levator /lvætr/ noun
Latin LEV Ā RE to raise.
malleus /mælus/ or /mæls/ noun
Latin MALLEUS hammer. Related to the English word mallet.
mandible /mændbl/ noun
Latin MANDIBULA jaw, related to MANDERE to chew.
masseter /mæstr/ noun
Greek μασάομαι masaomai to chew.
mastoid /mæstid/ adjective mastoid process
Greek μαστός mastos breast. See oid . The mastoid process is breast shaped.
meatus /mætus/ or /mets/ noun
Latin
ME Ā RE
to pass.

6 membrane /mmbren/ noun
Latin MEMBR Ā NA skin.
mentalis /mntæls/ noun
Latin MENTUM chin.
monophthong /mno/ noun
Greek μόνος monos alone (e.g., monolingual) plus φθόγγος fthongos a sound.
mylo – /mailo/ combinatory form
Greek μύλος mulos millstone. The mylohyoid muscle is shaped like the grooves in a millstone.
nasal /næsl/ adjective, combinatory form naso –
Latin
NASUS
nose.
–oid /id/ suffix (adjectiviser)
Greek suffix – ώδης oodees / – ειδής eidees from the noun ε É δος eidos shape. An X-oid is something that is shaped like an X. Form example, a spheroid is shaped like a sphere, and an android
( • νδρώδης androodees ) is shaped like a man ( • νδρ – is a form of • νήρ aneer man).
omo – /mo/ combinatory form
Latin UMERUS shoulder or upper arm.
orbicularis /rbkulæris/ noun
Latin
ORBIS
circle, disc. Related to the English word orbit.
oris /ris/ noun
Latin Ō R Ā RE to speak. OS mouth. Related to the English word orifice.
ossicle /skl/ noun
Latin OSSICULUM from OS bone.
palate /pælt/ noun, palatini gentitive, palatal adjective
Latin
PALAATUM
for the roof of the mouth. Possibly related to Greek πλατύς platus flat.
parietal /praitl/ adjective
Latin PARIEES wall.
pharynx /færks/ noun, pharyngeal /frndl/ adjective, pharyngo – /frio/ combinatory form
Greek φάρυγξ farungx throat. Related to φάραγξ farangx chasm or ravine.
phone /fon/ noun
Greek φωνή foonee the sound of a voice. Related to the English word telephone.

7 phoneme /fonim/ noun
Greek φώνημα fooneema something which is spoken. See also phone .
phonetics /fntks/ noun, phonetic adjective
Greek φωνήτικος fooneetikos the study of speech sounds. See phone .
phonology /fnldi/ noun
Greek φωνή foonee the sound of a voice, plus λόγος logos word and thought. Phonology is the thinking about, or mental representation of speech sounds.
plosive /plosv/ noun
French explosif explosive.
process /pross/ noun
An outgrowth, from Latin PR Ō CESSUS an advancement. Related to English procession and proceed.
pterygoid /ptrid/ adjective
Greek πτέρυξ pterux wing, plus – oid . πτερόν pteron feather.
pulmonic /plmnk/ adjective
French pulmonique from Latin PULMO lung.
radical /rædkl/ adjective, radico – combinatory form
Latin R Ā DIX root.
resonance /rznns/ noun
Latin prefix RE – again, plus SON Ā RE to sound.
retroflex /rtroflks/ adjective
Latin RETRO behind, backwards. Plus FLECTERE to bend.
risorius /rsrius/ noun
Latin R Ī SIBILIS from R Ī D Ē RE to laugh.
sagittal /sæditl/ adjective
Latin SAGITTA arrow. The sagittal suture is a serrated line on the top of the skull where the parietal bones meet, maybe it is arrow shaped. scala /skælæ/ noun
Latin SC Ā LA ladder.
spectrum /spktrm/ noun, plural spectra , spectral adjective, spectro – combinatory form
Latin
SPECERE
to look at. Originally applied to the frequencies of light.

8 stapes /stæps/ or /stepiz/ noun, stapedius noun
Latin STAPEDA stirrup. ST Ā RE to stand, plus P Ē S foot.
sterno – /strno/ combinatory form, sternum noun
Greek στέρνον sternon chest.
stylo – /stailo/ combinatory form, styloid adjective
Greek στ Ø λος stulos pillar. Related to the English words stylus and stool.
taxonomy /tæksnmi/ noun
French taxonomie from Greek τάξις taxis an arrangement or order, and νόμος nomos meaning something assigned by law or custom.
tectorial /tktril/ adjective tectorical membrane
Latin
TECT Ō RIUM
a covering.
TEGERE
to cover.
temporalis /tmpræls/ adjective or noun
Latin TEMPOR Ā LIS genitive of TEMPUS the temple of the head.
trachea /træki/ noun
Greek τράχηλος tracheelos neck.
trill /trl/ noun or verb
Italian trillo from Middle Dutch trillen to vibrate.
thyroid /airid/ adjective thyroid cartilage , thyro– combinatory from
Greek θυρεός thureos a large rectangular shield, the kind that Roman soldiers are usually depicted carrying. The shield is door shaped: θύρα thura door. Plus the suffix –oid . The thyroid cartilage is shaped like one of these shields, and shields the rest of the larynx.
tympanic /tmpænk/ adjective tympanic membrane
Greek τύμπανον tumpanon a kettledrum. τύπτω tuptoo to beat.
uvula /uvjul/ or /juvjul/ noun, uvular adjective
Latin diminutive of Ū VA grape. Note that this word is NOT uvelum.
velar /vilr/ adjective, velic adjective, velaric adjective, velum /vilm/ noun, veli genitive
Latin V Ē LUM veil. Velar applies to sounds in which the body of the tongue approaches the velum.
Velic applies to the velic port, the opening between the velum and the nasopharynx. Velaric applies to the velaric air stream mechanism.
vestibular /vstbjulr/ adjective
Latin VEST Ī RE to clothe. VESTIS clothing. Related to the English word vestibule.

vocalis /vokæls/ noun, vocal /vokæl/ adjective vocal ligament
Latin V Ō C Ā LIS having a voice. V Ō X voice.
zygomaticus /ziomætkus/ or /zaiomætkus/ noun
Greek ζε Ø γος zeugos yoke for beasts of burden.
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