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Orthoepy is the study of pronunciation of a particular language, within a specific oral tradition. The term is from the Greek ὀρθοέπεια orthoepeia, from ὀρθός orthos ('correct') and ἔπος epos ('speech'). The antonym is cacoepy "bad or wrong pronunciation". The pronunciation of the word orthoepy itself varies widely; the OED recognizes the variants /ˈɔːθəʊ.iːpi/, /ˈɔːθəʊ.ɛpi/, /ˈɔːθəʊ.ɨpi/, and /ɔːˈθəʊ.ɨpi/ for British English, as well as /ɔrˈθoʊ.əpi/ for American English.[1]
The pronunciation is sometimes clarified with a diaeresis: orthoëpy, such as in the title of Edward Barrett Warman's Warman's Practical Orthoëpy and Critique, published in 1888 and found in Google Books.
Warman states on page 5: "Words possess three special characteristics: They have their Eye-life—Orthography. Ear-life—Orthoëpy. Soul-life—Significance." As with Warman's book, the purpose of this article is "to deal exclusively with the ear-life, or orthoëpy".[2][3]
- ^ "orthoepy". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OED/1086970243. Retrieved November 11, 2010. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Warman, Edward Barrett (1888). "Warman's Practical Orthoëpy and Critique".
- ^ Warman, Edward Barret (1888). Warman's practical orthoepy and critique (classic reprint). University of Chicago: Forgotten Books. ISBN 1332889956. OCLC 983304758.