FW: a word/

hpst@earthlink.net hpst at EARTHLINK.NET
Mon Feb 19 14:42:53 UTC 2007


Ladies and Gentlemen and those of you who are neither,

A friend sent  me the following request.

I once again need a word: You know about homophones, words that sound alike but have different meanings. Now I need a word for words that sound similar (but not identical like in homophones) and have different meanings. I'm working on some East Javanese verses and in the process of transcribing this oral tradition, many (badly trained) researchers come up with words that have some phonetic connection to a possible original, but one has to search. I'm thinking of simi-phones (similar sounding words), but maybe there is something in use already.

Does such a word exist?

If you guys can't find one I will tell my friend Robert that he should coin his own.

Please send me anything you have on the subject, and I will forward it to him.

Page Stephens

hpst at earthlink.net

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



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