RULES OF PRONUNCIATION PRONUNCIATION MARKS

● Diacritical marks and capitalization are used to aid pronunciations

1. For ae and oe, only the second vowel is pronounced.
throughout the text.
Examples are bursae, pleurae, and roentgen. ● Diacritical marks used to show vowel sounds, and
2. The soft sound of s and j are given to c and g, respectively, before capitalization is used to show emphasis.
● Diacritical marks are symbols placed above or under vowels. They
e, i, and y in words of Greek or Latin origin. show vowel sounds. Two diacritical marks are used: the macron
Examples are cerebrum, circumcision, cycle, gel, gingivitis, gian. (¯) and the breve (˘).
3. Before other letters, c and g have a hard sound.
Examples are cardiac, cast, gastric, and gonad.
4. The letters ch are sometimes pronounced like k.
Examples are cholesterol, cholera.
5. When pn appears at the beginning of a word, p is silent and only n
is pronounced.
Examples are pneumonia and pneumotoxin.
6. When pn appears in the middle of a word, p and n are pronounced.
MEDICAL WORD ELEMENT
Examples are orthopnea and hyperpnea.
● Word Roots
7. When ps appears at the beginning of a word, p is silent and only s ● Combining Forms
● Suffixes
is pronounced.
● Prefixes
Examples are psychology and psychosis.
8. When forming the final letter(s) of a word, e and es are commonly PREFIX
pronounced as separate syllables. ● Prefix means to fix before or to fix to the beginning of a word.
Examples are syncope, systole, and nares. ● A prefix can be a syllable or a group of syllables placed at the
beginning of a word to alter or modify the meaning of the word or to
9. When i appears at the end of a word (to form a plural), it is
create a new word.
pronounced eye.
Examples are bronchi, fungi, and nuclei.
 WORD ROOT
WORD ROOT ● Core of a medical term
● A root is a word or word element from which other words are ● Contains the fundamental meaning
formed. ● Most word roots are derived from Greek or Latin
● It is the foundation of the word and conveys the central meaning of ● Greek roots for diseases, conditions, treatments, or diagnoses
the word. ● Latin roots for anatomical structures Greek root "derm" used in
● It forms the base to which prefixes and suffixes are attached for terms related to the skin
word modification ● Latin root "cutane" used primarily for describing anatomical
structures
COMBINING FORM ● Most medical terms contain at least one word root.
● A combining form is a word root to which a vowel has been added
to link the root to the suffix or to another root. WORD ROOT LOCATION
● The vowel o is used more often than any other to make combining ● Prefix + Root + Suffix
forms. ● Root + Suffix
● Prefix + Root + Root + Suffix
SUFFIX
● A root is a word or word element from which other words are MEDICAL ROOT WORDS
formed.
● Suffix means to fasten on, beneath, or under.
● A suffix can be a syllable or group of syllables united with or placed
at the end of a word to alter or modify the meaning of the word or to
create a new word.

SIMPLIFYING IT……..
● Prefix = Beginning (Descriptive)
Location, Direction, Number, Quantity, Amount, Size, Color, Etc.

● Root = Middle (Subject)

Often pertains to a body part or system

● Suffix = Ending (Meaning)

Disease, Disorder, Condition, Procedure, Process, Specialty, Test,
Etc.
LETS REVIEW….
COMBINING FORMS
● Derived from a word root.
● Typically has a vowel (commonly "o") added.
● Vowels have no standalone meaning.
● Enables connection between two elements.

PREFIX
● Attached to the beginning of a word or word root.
● Alters or adds meaning to the word.
● Adding or changing a prefix modifies the word's meaning.

Each word has the same root, nat (birth). By substituting different prefixes,
a new word with a different meaning is formed.
LETS REVIEW….
SUFFIX
● Placed at the end of a word or word root.
● Suffixes are also used to denote singular and plural forms of a word
as well as a part of speech.
● Alters the meaning of the word.
● Suffix often indicates a procedure, condition, disease, or part of
speech in medical terminology.
LETS REVIEW….
SUFFIX: Suffix Linking

WORD ROOTS WITH SUFFIXES

Examples of word roots used to link a suffix that begins with a vowel.

Many medical words have Greek or Latin origins, there are a few unusual
rules you need to learn to change a singular word into its plural form.

COMBINING FORMS WITH SUFFIXES

Examples of combining forms (root o) used to link a suffix that begins with
a consonant.

COMPOUND WORDS WITH SUFFIXES

Words that contain more than one word root are known as compound
words.

RULE: Multiple word roots within a compound word are always changed to
combining forms so that the roots are joined together with a combining
vowel, regardless of whether the second word root begins with a vowel or a
consonant.