- tone language
- noun Date: circa 1909 a language (as Chinese or Zulu) in which variations in tone distinguish words or phrases of different meaning that otherwise would sound alike
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
tone language
Look at other dictionaries:
tone language — tone ,language noun count LINGUISTICS a language such as Chinese in which the meaning of some words changes when you say them in a different TONE … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
tone language — or tonal language n. a language, as Chinese or some Bantu or Southeast Asian languages, in which pitch variation is used to distinguish words that would otherwise sound alike … English World dictionary
tone language — tone .language n a language such as Chinese in which the way a sound goes up or down affects the meaning of the word … Dictionary of contemporary English
tone language — noun a language in which different tones distinguish different meanings (Freq. 3) • Syn: ↑tonal language • Hypernyms: ↑natural language, ↑tongue • Hyponyms: ↑contour language, ↑ … Useful english dictionary
tone language — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms tone language : singular tone language plural tone languages linguistics a language such as Chinese in which the meaning of some words changes when you say them in a different tone … English dictionary
tone language — tone′ lan guage n. ling. a language, as Chinese or Yoruba, in which words that are otherwise phonologically identical are distinguished by having different pitches or pitch contour • Etymology: 1905–10 … From formal English to slang
tone language — a language, as Swedish, Chinese, Yoruba, or Serbo Croatian, in which words that are otherwise phonologically identical are distinguished by having different pitches or pitch contour. [1905 10] * * * … Universalium
tone language — noun (C) technical a language such as Chinese in which the way a sound goes up or down affects the meaning of the word … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
tone language — /ˈtoʊn læŋgwɪdʒ/ (say tohn langgwij) noun → tonal language …
Tone (linguistics) — Not to be confused with intonation (linguistics). Top tone ◌̋ ˥ … Wikipedia
