allophonic
/ˌæləˈfɑnɪk/
adjective
- Relating to or describing an allophone or the variation of speech sounds that do not change meaning.
- The allophonic variation between the two 't' sounds in 'top' and 'stop' is not noticeable to most speakers.
- The professor explained the allophonic rules that apply to vowel sounds in different dialects.
- Linguistics students learn to identify allophonic differences in spoken language.