Standard Lemma guide

tonogenesis

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A process in which a language develops tones.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: tonoexodus

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ten- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *tónos Proto-Hellenic *tónos Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos)der. English tono- Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh1- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh1tis Proto-Hellenic *génetis Ancient Greek γένεσῐς (génesĭs)der. Latinbor. English -genesis English tonogenesis From tono- + -genesis; coined by American linguist James Matisoff in 1970 in his paper Glottal dissimilation and the Lahu high-rising tone: A tonogenetic case-study.