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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

allophone en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /ˈæləˌfəʉn/ (Australia)
  • /ˈæləˌfoʊn/ (US)
  • /ˈaləˌfəʊn/ (UK)
  • (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos Proto-Hellenic *ál͏̌l͏̌os Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́λλος (ắllos)der. English allo- Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *pʰōnā́ Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ)der. English -phone English allophone From allo- (“different”) + -phone.

Meanings

  1. (Canada) Of or relating to those whose mother tongue is neither English, French, nor (sometimes) an indigenous language of Canada.
    • As immigration increases from different parts of the world, the linguistic makeup of Canada changes. In 2006, the allophone population—individuals whose mother tongue is neither English nor French—totalled 6.3 million, […] 2010, Statistics Canada, Canada Year, →ISBN:
    • In every case the allophone population is vastly larger than the proportion of francophones, which ranges from 4.2 percent […] from other parts of Canada more than international immigration from abroad: despite a growing allophone presence, […] 2010, Charles Boberg, The English Language in Canada: Status, History and Comparative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 23:
  2. That which is of a language other than that spoken by the majority.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
most allophone Degree=Sup lexicographic
more allophone Degree=Cmp lexicographic

Relateds

complementary distribution

Translations (5)

es alófono (of a language other than that spoken by the majority) · fi vähemmistökieltä äidinkielenään puhuva (of a language other than that spoken by the majority) · fr allophone (of a language neither English nor French) · de allophon (of a language other than that spoken by the majority) · fr allophone (of a language other than that spoken by the majority)

allophone en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈæləˌfəʉn/ (Australia)
  • /ˈæləˌfoʊn/ (US)
  • /ˈaləˌfəʊn/ (UK)
  • (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos Proto-Hellenic *ál͏̌l͏̌os Ancient Greek ᾰ̓́λλος (ắllos)der. English allo- Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *pʰōnā́ Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ)der. English -phone English allophone From allo- (“different”) + -phone.

Meanings

  1. Any of two or more alternative pronunciations for a phoneme.
    • In the former the bilabial phone forms an allophone of the phoneme /v/ in word-final position after /a/ and an allophone of the phoneme /u/ when it is preceded by an obstruent and followed by /a/; […] 2003, Mikhail Sergeevich Andronov, A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 33:
    • In some languages, [ʋ] is an allophone of /v/.
  2. A person whose mother tongue is one other than that spoken by the majority.
  3. (Canada) A person whose mother tongue is one other than that spoken by the majority. ▸ A person whose mother tongue is neither English, French, nor (sometimes) an indigenous language.
    • However, “the languages used by STM staff during customer interactions are French and English,” the transit authority said. “Indeed, during phone calls or emails, STM employees speak English with anglophone or allophone customers who do not speak French.” 2025 April 24, Andy Riga, quoting Société de transport de Montréal, “No Habs No: Quebec orders STM to drop ‘Go’ from bus messages because it’s an English word”, in The Gazette, Montreal, →ISSN, archived from the original on 25 Apr 2025:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
allophones Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

allophony · complementary allophone · allophonic · allophonics

Relateds

allomorph

Translations (44)

de Allophon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · cy allffon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · crk opîtatowêw (person whose mother tongue is neither English nor French) · eo alofono (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · tr alofon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · pl alofon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · cy aloffon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · fr allophone (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · de Lautvariante (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · hy ենթահնչույթ (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · de Phonemvariante (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · hy ալլոֆոն (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · fr allophone (person whose mother tongue is one other than that spoken by the majority) · nl foonvariant (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · es alófono (person whose mother tongue is one other than that spoken by the majority) · vi tha âm vị (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · fr allophone (person whose mother tongue is neither English nor French) · sv allofon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · ru аллофо́н (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · cmn 同位異音 /同位异音 (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · de Fonemvariante (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · it allofono (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · gl alófono (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · pt alófono (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · dsb alofon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · es alófono (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · de Allophoner (person whose mother tongue is one other than that spoken by the majority) · pl allofon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · es alófona (person whose mother tongue is one other than that spoken by the majority) · nl allofoon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · mn авиалбарын хувилбар (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · el αλλόφωνο (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · vi tha âm (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · de Allofon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · ga allafón (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · ko 이음 (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · fi vähemmistökieltä äidinkielenään puhuva (person whose mother tongue is one other than that spoken by the majority) · fi allofoni (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · ca al·lòfon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · it variante combinatoria (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · ja 異音 (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · sh alofon (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme) · de Allophone (person whose mother tongue is one other than that spoken by the majority) · nl stemvariant (alternative pronunciation for a phoneme)