mispronunciations
Saying words wrong
Mispronunciations are instances of saying a word incorrectly—stressing the wrong syllable, substituting sounds, or mangling unfamiliar terms.
Some become widespread enough to shift standard pronunciation over time.
Her mispronunciations of foreign names embarrassed her at the conference.
The comic's deliberate mispronunciations were part of the act.
Minor error or misstep
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
- gaffeClumsy social error
- flubClumsy error
- stumbleLose footing momentarily
spoonerism · malapropism · garble · misarticulation · mumble · slur · distortion · mangling
Clear vocal expression
- dictionChoice of words
- elocutionFormal speaking skill
- fluencySmooth linguistic command
- clarityState of being understandable
vocalization · phonation · utterance · delivery · speaking · verbalization · stammering · stuttering
Science of language sounds
- phonemeMinimal distinctive sound unit
- vowelUnobstructed speech sound
- consonantIn agreement with
- fricativeConsonant with audible friction
plosive · glottal · alveolar · labial · dental · nasal · aspiration · voicing
Act of obtaining something
- ESLLanguage instruction abbreviation
- second languageTongue learned after childhood
- native speakerOne who grew up speaking it
- learnerOne gaining knowledge
foreign accent · practice · correction · drilling · mimicry · ear training · phonics · literacy
Geographic designations
- surnamesHereditary family identifiers
- borrowed wordsForeign terms adopted into language
- loanwordsAdopted foreign vocabulary
- transliterationCross-script phonetic spelling
anglicization · proper nouns · eponyms · toponyms · brand names · technical terms · jargon · neologisms
slip
Minor error or misstep
stumble · spoonerism · malapropism · garble · misarticulation · mumble · slur · distortion · mangling · bungle
articulation
Clear vocal expression
clarity · vocalization · phonation · utterance · delivery · speaking · verbalization · stammering · stuttering · lisp
phonology
Science of language sounds
fricative · plosive · glottal · alveolar · labial · dental · nasal · aspiration · voicing · schwa
acquisition
Act of obtaining something
- ESLLanguage instruction abbreviation
- second languageTongue learned after childhood
- native speakerOne who grew up speaking it
foreign accent · learner · practice · correction · drilling · mimicry · ear training · phonics · literacy · language development
place names
Geographic designations
- surnamesHereditary family identifiers
- borrowed wordsForeign terms adopted into language
- loanwordsAdopted foreign vocabulary
transliteration · anglicization · proper nouns · eponyms · toponyms · brand names · technical terms · jargon · neologisms