different between emphatic vs phatic

English

Alternative forms

• emphatick (obsolete)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ????????? (emphatikós, “emphatic”), from ??????? (emphaín?, “I show, present”), from ?? (en, “in”) + ????? (phaín?, “I shine, show”); related to ??????? (émphasis) and English emphasis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?fæt?k/
• (weak vowel merger) IPA^(key): /?m?fæt?k/
• Rhymes: -æt?k

Adjective

emphatic (comparative more emphatic, superlative most emphatic)

1. Characterized by emphasis; forceful.
2. Stated with conviction.

   He gave me an emphatic no when I asked him out.

3. (grammar) Belonging to a set of English tense forms comprising the auxiliary verb do + an infinitive without to.
4. (phonology) Belonging to a series of obstruent consonants in several Semitic languages that are distinguished from both voiced and voiceless consonants by a certain phonetic feature or features.
   1. pharyngealized consonants in Arabic, Hebrew, and other Northwest Semitic languages
   2. ejectives in Ge'ez, Amharic, and other Ethiopic Semitic languages

Derived terms

• emphatically

Related terms

• emphasis
• emphasise, emphasize

Translations

Noun

emphatic (plural emphatics)

1. (phonology) An emphatic consonant.
2. (linguistics) A word or phrase adding emphasis, such as "a lot" or "really".

See also

• phatic

Anagrams

• empathic

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ????? (phatós, “spoken”), from ???? (ph?mí, “I say”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?fæt?k/

Adjective

phatic (comparative more phatic, superlative most phatic)

1. (linguistics) Pertaining to words used to convey any kind of social relationship.
   • 1978, Anthony Burgess, 1985:

     Generally speaking, statements in WE are expected to be of a tautologous nature, thus fulfilling the essential phatic nature of speech.

   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 467:

     Dispensing with phatic chitchat, he began straightaway to tell the story of his “people.”

Translations

See also

• emphatic
• platitude

Anagrams

• -pathic, haptic, pathic