Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The science or practice of transcribing speech by means of symbols representing elements of sound; phonetic transcription.
  • noun A system of shorthand based on phonetic transcription.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The science of sound-signs, or the representation of vocal sounds.
  • noun The representation of words as they are pronounced; specifically, a system of phonetic writing in shorthand introduced by Isaac Pitman of Bath, England, in the year 1837.
  • noun The construction and use of phonographs, and the recording of sound by mechanical means, with a view to its reproduction.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A description of the laws of the human voice, or sounds uttered by the organs of speech.
  • noun A representation of sounds by distinctive characters; commonly, a system of shorthand writing invented by Isaac Pitman, or a modification of his system, much used by reporters.
  • noun The art of constructing, or using, the phonograph.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun the transcription of speech using symbols
  • noun a form of shorthand using such symbols
  • noun dated The art of constructing, or using, the phonograph.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French phonographie

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word phonography.

Examples

  • Look at the words 'defective,' 'phonography' and all of it.

    Pine Needles, 1921. No Author 1921

  • Manutius and Nicholas Jenson successively excelled, has attained its acme of perfection, and that our grand-children will no longer trust their works to this somewhat antiquated process, now become very easy to replace by phonography, which is yet in its initial stage, and of which we have much to hope.”

    The End of Books 2006

  • Printing, a "somewhat antiquated process" that for centuries "has reigned despotically over the mind of man," would be replaced by "phonography," and libraries would be turned into "phonographotecks."

    NPR Topics: News 2010

  • Printing, a "somewhat antiquated process" that for centuries "has reigned despotically over the mind of man," would be replaced by "phonography," and libraries would be turned into "phonographotecks."

    NPR Topics: News 2010

  • Eggs phonography: find some eggs that have already been cooked.

    To Serve Man Matthew Guerrieri 2006

  • Billboard allows you to get a birds-eye view of the Billboard Hot 100 by listening to all the #1 singles from 1958 through the millenium using a technique I've been working on for a couple of years called time-lapse phonography.

    Boing Boing: December 25, 2005 - December 31, 2005 Archives 2005

  • Just as oculists have multiplied since the invention of journalism, so with the phonography yet to be, the aurists will begin to abound.

    The End of Books 2006

  • The phonography of the future will be at the service of our grandchildren on all the occasions of life.

    The End of Books 2006

  • Starting in radiophonics, escalation 746 has explored performance art, music, soundtracks, phonography, electro-acoustics and other disciplines.

    ArtsElectric 2006

  • I believe, then, in the success of everything which will favor and encourage the indolence and selfishness of men; the elevator has done away with the toilsome climbing of stairs; phonography will probably be the destruction of printing.

    The End of Books 2006

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.