sound law

UK/ˈsaʊnd lɔː/US/ˈsaʊnd lɔ/US, cot caught merger/ˈsaʊnd lɑ/

noun

A rule that describes historical sound change (the change in pronunciation of a given sound or cluster of sounds) in the development of a language.

OriginGerman Lautgesetz →
First used 19th c.
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Meanings

nounsound law (plural sound laws)

plural sound laws · alternative archaic sound-law

  1. human sciencesA rule that describes historical sound change (the change in pronunciation of a given sound or cluster of sounds) in the development of a language.First known use 19th c.

    For reasons that will become clear shortly, this limitation of sound laws to a specific time is an important trait.

    2000, Andrew L. Sihler, Language History, John Benjamins Publishing Company, page 50
    2 more examples

    Then, to oversimplify, if there are similarities in sound and meaning between two words that do not obey the sound laws that have been established, we conclude that they have resulted from borrowing.

    1877, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, page 118

    In conclusion, we present the sound laws of Old Icelandic in the chronological order which represents the results of this dissertation.

    1940, Ainsley Maxwell Carlton, A Relative Chronology of Old Icelandic Sound Laws, Leland Stanford Junior University, page 114

Origin

  1. GermanLautgesetz
  2. Englishsound law

Calque of German Lautgesetz.

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Danish lydlov
  • lydlovrule that describes historical sound change in a language
Dutch klankwet
  • klankwetrule that describes historical sound change in a language
Finnish äännelaki
  • äännelakirule that describes historical sound change in a language
French loi phonétique
  • loi phonétiquerule that describes historical sound change in a language
German Lautgesetz
  • Lautgesetzrule that describes historical sound change in a language
Greek φωνητικός νόμος
  • φωνητικός νόμος (fonitikós nómos)rule that describes historical sound change in a language
Hungarian hangtörvény
  • hangtörvényrule that describes historical sound change in a language
Italian legge fonetica
  • legge foneticarule that describes historical sound change in a language
Polish prawo głosowe, prawo fonetyczne
  • prawo głosowerule that describes historical sound change in a language
  • prawo fonetycznerule that describes historical sound change in a language
Portuguese lei fonética
  • lei fonéticarule that describes historical sound change in a language
Russian фонети́ческий зако́н
  • фонети́ческий зако́н (fonetíčeskij zakón)rule that describes historical sound change in a language
Spanish ley fonética
  • ley fonéticarule that describes historical sound change in a language
Cite this entry
APA

sound law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sound%20law

MLA

“sound law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sound%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sound law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sound%20law.

Source: sound law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.