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Allophone

Noun CEFR B2
ˈaləˌfəʊn

Definitions

  1. Any of two or more alternative pronunciations for a phoneme.
  2. A person whose mother tongue is one other than that spoken by the majority.
  3. A person whose mother tongue is neither English, French, nor (sometimes) an indigenous language.

Equivalents

18 more languages

Examples

“In some languages, [ʋ] is an allophone of /v/.”
“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/; […]”
“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.””

CEFR level

B2
Upper Intermediate
This word is part of the CEFR B2 vocabulary — upper intermediate level.
See all B2 English words →

See also

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