phonemic change
[/foʊˈnɛmɪk tʃeɪndʒ/]
nounpl: phonemic changes
mudança fonêmica
1. A linguistic change in which a phoneme (distinctive sound unit) is replaced by another, lost, or gained in a language, altering the sound system of that language
The phonemic change from /θ/ to /f/ occurred in some English dialects over centuries.
A mudança fonêmica de /θ/ para /f/ ocorreu em alguns dialetos ingleses ao longo dos séculos.
2. A diachronic sound shift that affects the phonological inventory of a language without necessarily affecting individual words in predictable ways
Linguists study phonemic changes to understand how languages evolve and diverge.
Os linguistas estudam as mudanças fonêmicas para entender como as línguas evoluem e divergem.
This is a specialized term used primarily in academic and linguistic research contexts. It is fundamental to historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, and language evolution studies in both Brazilian and American universities. The concept is particularly important for understanding how languages like Portuguese and English have evolved from Latin and Proto-Germanic respectively.
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