non-tonal - Meaning, Image, Examples & Etymology - Learn English Visually

non-tonal

|non/to/nal|

🇺🇸

/nɑnˈtoʊnəl/

🇬🇧

/nɒnˈtəʊnəl/

lacking tone

Etymology

Etymology Information

'non-tonal' originates from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not' and 'tonal' from Latin 'tonalis', which relates to tone or sound.

Historical Evolution

'tonalis' transformed into the English word 'tonal', and with the addition of the prefix 'non-', it became 'non-tonal'.

Meaning Changes

Initially, it meant 'not related to tone', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.

Meanings by Part of Speech

Adjective 1

not having or using tones, especially in reference to languages that do not use pitch to distinguish meaning.

Mandarin is a tonal language, whereas English is non-tonal.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples

Last updated: 2025/01/11 11:45