Talk:-phone

Etymology of English -phone and French -phone

Some investigations have convinced me that the suffix -phone has two different etymologies:

1. A suffix primarily forming adjectives, which may then often do double duty as a noun. Examples of terms formed with this suffix are homophone (actually borrowed from Ancient Greek ὁμόφωνος (homóphōnos)) and francophone. This suffix stems from the Ancient Greek adjectival suffix -φωνος (-phōnos, “related to voice or sound”).
2. A suffix forming nouns, all neologisms. Examples of terms formed with this suffix are téléphone and saxophone. This suffix stems from the Ancient Greek noun φωνή (phōnḗ, “voice, sound”).

While the suffix -φωνος is derived from the noun φωνή, these suffixes are distinct in origin, meaning, and use. Most current etymologies of words suffixed with -phone fail to make the distinction (and many fail to acknowledge that they are loanwords). The OED does tend to make the distinction.  --Lambiam 15:31, 29 August 2022 (UTC)