ortodonie

Ortodonie is a term used in linguistics to refer to the study and promotion of standard pronunciation within a language community. It encompasses the description, codification, and maintenance of a recognized or prestige variety of speech, often shaped by education, media, and institutions. While not universally adopted, the concept appears in discussions about how pronunciation norms are defined, taught, and defended in various social contexts.

Definition and scope

Ortodonie describes both descriptive work that analyzes how a standard pronunciation is realized across speakers and prescriptive efforts that encourage or require adherence to that standard in specific settings. Typical activities include compiling pronunciation guidelines, producing reference materials for learners, and defining acceptable speech patterns for formal contexts such as education, government, and broadcasting.

Methods

Researchers and practitioners use phonetic and phonological analysis, acoustic measurements, perceptual testing, and corpus-based studies to characterize the standard variety. They assess intelligibility, social perception, and the effectiveness of teaching methods. Materials associated with ortodonie often include dictionaries with pronunciation symbols, phonetics courses, and style guides for public communication.

Applications and policy

Ortodonie-like practices influence language education, media broadcasting, court proceedings, and standardized examinations. In many contexts, they intersect with debates about linguistic diversity, language policy, and social equality, balancing the desire for mutual intelligibility with the protection of dialectal varieties.

Criticism

Critics argue that emphasis on a single standard can marginalize regional and sociolects, reinforce class or national hierarchies, and overlook legitimate phonetic variation. Proponents counter that a clear standard facilitates communication in heterogeneous communities and formal domains.

See also

Standard language, phonology, sociolinguistics, dialectology, orthography.