Phonologies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The systems and rules governing the organization of sounds in spoken languages
2. Sets of structural patterns related to sound systems within a particular language
3. Frameworks that describe how phonemes function and interact in linguistic contexts

Etymology: "Phonologies" is the plural of "phonology," the study of how sounds work as a system in a language. That noun joins "phono-", from Greek "phōnē" meaning "voice" or "sound," with "-logy", from Greek "logos" meaning "word" or "study," a suffix for a branch of learning.