TRIGRAPH Meaning and
Definition
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A trigraph is a linguistic term used to describe a sequence of three characters or letters that together represent a single sound, phoneme, or distinct unit of a language. It is a subset of the broader category of digraphs, which refers to pairs of characters representing a single sound. Trigraphs are typically used in phonetic transcriptions, phonemic analyses, or the study of spelling patterns.
In the English language, trigraphs often occur in words where two letters together cannot represent the intended sound. For instance, the trigraph "igh" in the word "sigh" represents the long "i" sound, which differs from the typical pronunciation of "sih." Another example is the trigraph "eau" in the word "beau," where the "eau" combination stands for the "o" sound. Trigraphs can occasionally be found in other languages as well, such as the "ngs" in Hong Kong's Cantonese pronunciation, where "ng" represents a single nasal consonant.
Understanding trigraphs can be helpful in phonics instruction, pronunciation guides, or language learning. However, it is worth noting that trigraphs are not as common as digraphs in most languages and may vary in usage across different dialects or writing systems.
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A name given to three letters having one sound; a triphthong.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
Common Misspellings for TRIGRAPH
Etymology of TRIGRAPH
The word "trigraph" is derived from the combination of two Greek roots: "tri-" meaning "three" and "-graph" meaning "to write" or "to draw". In linguistics, "trigraph" refers to a sequence of three letters or characters that represents a single sound or phoneme. The term was coined in the mid-20th century to specifically describe such phonetic units in written language.
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