Polyphones

Polyphones is a term used across several disciplines to denote multiple voices, readings, or pronunciations associated with a single symbol, word, or musical texture. The most common senses are linguistic polyphones and musical polyphony, though the term can appear in related technical contexts as well.

In linguistics and writing systems, a polyphone (plural polyphones) refers to a character or word that has more than one pronunciation or reading depending on context. This phenomenon is well known in languages such as Chinese, where characters like 行 (xíng or háng) and 重 (zhòng or chóng) can be read differently in different words or phrases. In Japanese, kanji characters often have on’yomi and kun’yomi readings, giving rise to multiple possible pronunciations. Polyphones pose challenges for literacy, dictionary design, and text-to-speech systems, and are typically indicated in dictionaries with contextual usage and distinct readings.

In music, polyphony refers to a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic lines sounding together. It contrasts with monophony (a single melody) and homophony (a primary melody supported by accompanying harmony). Polyphony emerged in medieval and Renaissance Europe and remains a central concept in Western classical music. It includes imitative forms, such as canons and fugues, as well as non-imitative counterpoint, where lines move independently yet cohesively. Famous composers associated with polyphonic writing include Josquin des Prez, Palestrina, and Johann Sebastian Bach.

See also: polyphony, heteronym, kanji readings, counterpoint.