S10: Writing systems
  
 

1. Meaning sound and looks - B) Sound: the phonetic aspect
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  • As soon as a name is what it sounds, its meaning has become irrelevant. Its looks (spelling) then may or may not be adapted to its sound.

  • The dominance of the phonetic aspect to a name (the ‘oral tradition’) allows the name to degenerate graphically.

  • Eventually, the name may be adapted semantically to its perceived sound, through a process called ‘popular etymology’.

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Copyright United Nations Statistics Division and International Cartographic Association, July 2012