Sovereignty is the supreme authority of a state to govern itself without outside interference. It refers to the full right and power of a governing body to govern itself, including making laws, conducting foreign policy, and controlling territory. In practice, it denotes independence and autonomy within international law and domestic governance.
"The treaty affirmed the nation's sovereignty and pledged non-interference."
"Debates about sovereignty often center on autonomy versus shared governance within unions."
"Independence leaders argued that sovereignty should be preserved against external coercion."
"The government reaffirmed sovereignty after the border dispute."
Sovereignty comes from the Old French souveraineté, itself from souverain, meaning 'king, sovereign' and ultimately from Latin superanus, meaning 'above, upper'. The term entered English via Norman French in the medieval period to denote supremacy and ultimate authority, especially of a ruler. By the 15th century, sovereignty broadened to describe the supreme authority within a territory, and in international law it came to signify the full right of a state to govern itself without external interference. The modern sense crystallized through political theory and constitutional reforms in Europe and the New World, where states sought to define their own authority vis-a-vis empires, monarchies, and later, supranational unions. First known uses appear in medieval legal and political texts, but the contemporary emphasis on territorial integrity and statehood solidified during the early modern and modern periods. The term thus reflects a long evolution from personal sovereignty of a monarch to the juridical and political concept of national sovereignty that underpins international relations today.
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Words that rhyme with "Sovereignty"
-ity sounds
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Sovereignty is pronounced /ˈsɒv.ərˌeɪn.ti/ in US and UK dictionaries, with primary stress on the first syllable: SO-və-REY-ən-tee, though connected speech often reduces the final syllable. Begin with an open back lax vowel in the first syllable (sov), followed by a schwa in the second syllable, then a clear long A in the third syllable, and end with a light /ti/ or /ti̯/ depending on tempo. Mouth positions: lips relaxed, jaw dropped slightly at /ɒ/; tongue low-mid for /ɒv/; mid-central /ə/ in /ər/; glide into /eɪ/ for the long A, then final /n/ and /ti/. Audio references: listen to Pronounce, Forvo entries, and Cambridge/Oxford pronunciations to hear the rhythm.
Common mistakes: (1) Misplacing the stress, sounding like so-VER-eign-ty; keep primary stress on SO-; (2) Mispronouncing the middle /ər/ as a strong /ɜːr/ or fully pronouncing as /əˈr/; use a light schwa /ə/ in the second syllable; (3) Final -ty misarticulation, often tacked as /ti/ rather than a softer /ti/ or /ti̯/ in connected speech. Corrections: practice with a slow, deliberate release of /ə/ and a short /ɪ/ or /i/ in the final syllable; run through minimal pairs with a slow tempo to reinforce the schwa and final /ti/.
US/UK/AU share the core /ˈsɒv.əˌreɪn.ti/ structure, but differences appear in rhoticity and vowel quality. US tends to have a rhotic, with a more pronounced /ɹ/ in /ər/ and slightly flatter /ə/; UK often has a more clipped /ə/ and clearer /eɪ/ in the third syllable; AU generally features a broader vowel in /ɒ/ and a more relaxed /ə/ after the first syllable. In all, the /ˈsɒv/ onset remains stable, but rhoticity and vowel length can shift slightly, affecting the perceived rhythm.
Key challenges: the sequence /vərˌeɪn/ contains a rapid shift from /v/ to a schwa to a long /eɪ/ that can trip speakers; the stress pattern (primary on the first syllable) and the multisyllabic length make timing tricky; the final -ty attaches as a light /ti/, which can blur in quick speech. Practice focusing on the transition from /v/ to /ə/ to /ˌeɪn/ and the final /ti/; use slow tempo to feel the rhythm before speeding up.
A unique aspect is the VELAR-alveolar transition between /v/ and /ə/ and the rise in the /eɪ/ nucleus in the third syllable, which creates a distinctive three-beat rhythm before the final /ti/. This requires precise tongue positioning—teeth lightly on lower lip for /v/, relaxed jaw for /ə/, then a steady front-of-mouth tongue for /eɪ/. The combination of non-stressed middle and final consonants can make the word feel longer and more formal.
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