Phonocentrism
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The idea that sounds and speech are inherently superior to (or more natural than) written language. uncountable, usually
"In other words, social Darwinism was inextricably connected to phoneticism or, more precisely, what would a century later be criticized as "phonocentrism" - an understanding of language that gives primacy to spoken language as a spontaneous expression of the human mind, thus reducing written language to the status of mere representation of spoken sounds."
Example
More examples"In other words, social Darwinism was inextricably connected to phoneticism or, more precisely, what would a century later be criticized as "phonocentrism" - an understanding of language that gives primacy to spoken language as a spontaneous expression of the human mind, thus reducing written language to the status of mere representation of spoken sounds."
Etymology
From phono- + -centrism.
More for "phonocentrism"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.