sin-TAK-tik
/ˌsɪˈntæktɪk/
syntactic is pronounced sin-TAK-tik (/ˌsɪˈntæktɪk/). Syntactic describes things related to syntax, especially in linguistics, where structure and rules govern how words combine into sentences. It typically refers to the arrangement and grammatical function of words within a sentence, or to the rules governing this arrangement. The term is often used to discuss theories of sentence structure and grammatical correspondences in language analysis.
Syntactic describes things related to syntax, especially in linguistics, where structure and rules govern how words combine into sentences. It typically refers to the arrangement and grammatical function of words within a sentence, or to the rules governing this arrangement. The term is often used to discuss theories of sentence structure and grammatical correspondences in language analysis.
- You: Focus on 3-4 phoneme practice drills to avoid common slurring of the middle /t/ and final /k/. - Listen: Record and compare to native speakers, then adjust. - Shadow: Build accuracy by shadowing a sentence with syntactic usage and repeating with precise cadence. - Use tip for 's' onset: avoid transitional breathiness, keep a clean sibilant.
"The linguist presented a syntactic analysis of English sentence structures."
"Her research focused on syntactic constraints in second-language acquisition."
"We reviewed the syntactic rules that determine how adjectives modify nouns."
Pronounce as sɪnˈtæk.tɪk. Stress falls on the second syllable, with a crisp 'tack' in the middle and a final 'ik' sound. Start with a short 'si' as in 'sit', then ‘n’ glide into 'tac' with a clear 't', and finish with a light 'tik'. Listen for the two-syllable rhythm before the final syllable. IPA guidance helps: /sɪnˈtæk.tɪk/.
Common errors: (1) Flattening the stressed syllable to /ˈsɪnˌtæk.tɪk/ with wrong stress; (2) Slurring the middle consonant cluster /tæk/ by reducing the /t/ and /k/ together; (3) Misplacing primary stress, saying /sɪnˈtæk.tɪk/ instead of the correct /sɪnˈtæk.tɪk/. Correction: keep the /t/ release clear between /tæ/ and /kɪ/, ensure secondary syllable is stressed, and practice isolating /t/ before /k/ using a light, clean release.
US/UK/AU share /sɪnˈtæk.tɪk/ core, but rhoticity and vowel length can color the vowels slightly. US often has a slightly shorter /ɪ/ in first syllable and crisper /t/ release; UK may have a slightly longer vowel before /t/ and a more clipped final /ɪk/. Australian tends toward broader vowels; you may hear a marginally more centralized /ɪ/ and a softer /t/ release. Overall the pattern remains the same with minor quality differences.
It blends a stressed syllable with a tight consonant cluster /tæk.tɪk/ and ends in a final /-ɪk/ that can slip. The middle /t/ and /k/ require careful, clean releases to avoid a slurred or muffled ending. Additionally, the two adjacent velar-alveolar sounds demand precise tongue positioning: the tongue blade should be near the alveolar ridge for /ˌtæ/ and then the dorsum should approach the soft palate for /-tɪk/. Accurate dental/alveolar contact matters.
Yes. 'Synthetic' vs 'syntactic' often confuse learners. For syntactic, the voiced cluster should emphasize the second syllable: sɪnˈtæk.tɪk, with primary stress on -tac-, creating a deliberate beat: siN-TAC-tic. Pay attention to the clear vowel in the second syllable and avoid turning it into 'syn-TAC-tic' with equal stress. The rhythm should feel like three even, crisp syllables, not a rapid triplet.
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- US: crisp /ˈtæk/ with clear /t/ and a non-rhotic variant; UK: slightly more clipped /t/ release; AU: broader vowels and relaxed final -c; IPA anchors: /sɪnˈtæk.tɪk/ across. - Vowels: /ɪ/ in first vowel; /æ/ in middle; /ɪ/ in final vowel; ensure gradual vowel length differences. - Note rhotic vs nonrhotic: final /k/ unaffected by rhotic.
Syntactic hails from late Latin syntacticus, Latinized form of Greek syntaktikos, meaning 'putting together, related to arrangement.' The Greek root syntakt- derives from syn-'together' and tagma 'a birth, arrangement, order' (from tassein 'to arrange'). The term enters English via Old French syntaxe and Latin, used in scholarly discourse by the 17th-18th centuries as a branch of grammar that studies the rules for combining words. Early linguists framed syntax as the structural backbone of language, distinguishing it from phonology and morphology. Over time, 'syntactic' broadened to describe not just rules but the properties of sentence structures in various languages and the theoretical frameworks (e.g., generative grammar) that model them. First known use in English appears in scholarly grammar writings around the 18th century, though the concept predates, appearing in grammar treatises in Latin and French in the medieval and early modern periods as scholars debated proper sentence construction and grammatical relations.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "syntactic" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "syntactic"
-tic sounds
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