phonics (n.)

1680s, "phonetics, the doctrine or science of sound," especially of the human voice, from Greek phōnē "sound, voice" (from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say") + -ics.

As the name of a method of teaching reading by associating letters or groups of letters with particular sounds in an alphabetic writing system, especially as correlations between sound and symbol, it is attested by 1901 and became prominent in that sense after 1950, though the systematic method itself dates from the 1830s.

Entries linking to phonics

*bha- (2)

*bhā-; Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to speak, tell, say."

It forms all or part of: abandon; affable; anthem; antiphon; aphasia; aphonia; aphonic; apophasis; apophatic; ban (n.1) "proclamation or edict;" ban (v.); banal; bandit; banish; banlieue; banns (n.); bifarious; blame; blaspheme; blasphemy; boon (n.); cacophony; confess; contraband; defame; dysphemism; euphemism; euphony; fable; fabulous; fado; fairy; fame; famous; fandango; fatal; fate; fateful; fatuous; fay; gramophone; heterophemy; homophone; ineffable; infamous; infamy; infant; infantile; infantry; mauvais; megaphone; microphone; monophonic; nefandous; nefarious; phatic; -phone; phone (n.2) "elementary sound of a spoken language;" phoneme; phonetic; phonic; phonics; phono-; pheme; -phemia; Polyphemus; polyphony; preface; profess; profession; professional; professor; prophecy; prophet; prophetic; quadraphonic; symphony; telephone; xylophone.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek pheme "speech, voice, utterance, a speaking, talk," phōnē "voice, sound" of a human or animal, also "tone, voice, pronunciation, speech," phanai "to speak;" Sanskrit bhanati "speaks;" Latin fari "to say," fabula "narrative, account, tale, story," fama "talk, rumor, report; reputation, public opinion; renown, reputation;" Armenian ban, bay "word, term;" Old Church Slavonic bajati "to talk, tell;" Old English boian "to boast," ben "prayer, request;" Old Irish bann "law."

-ics

in the names of sciences or disciplines (acoustics, aerobics, economics, etc.), a 16c. revival of the classical custom of using the neuter plural of adjectives with Greek -ikos "pertaining to" (see -ic) to mean "matters relevant to" and also as the titles of treatises about them. Subject matters that acquired their English names before c. 1500, however, tend to be singular in form (arithmetic, logic, magic, music, rhetoric). The grammatical number of words in -ics (mathematics is/mathematics are) is a confused question.

Ebonics (n.)

"African-American vernacular English," 1975, as title of a book edited by U.S. professor Robert L. Williams (1930-2020), who is said to have coined the word as a blend of ebony and phonics.

Share phonics

‘cite’

Page URL:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/phonics

HTML Link:

<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/phonics">Etymology of phonics by etymonline</a>

APA style:

Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of phonics. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/phonics

Chicago style:

Harper Douglas, “Etymology of phonics,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/phonics.

MLA style:

Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of phonics.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/phonics. Accessed $(datetimeMla).

IEEE style:

D. Harper. “Etymology of phonics.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/phonics (accessed $(datetime)).

updated on May 23, 2020

Definitions of phonics from WordNet

phonics (n.)

teaching reading by training beginners to associate letters with their sound values;

From wordnet.princeton.edu, not affiliated with etymonline.

Dictionary entries near phonics

phoneme

phonemic

phonetic

phonetics

phonic

phonics

phono-

phonogram

phonograph

phonographic

phonography