A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics David Crystal

truth functional 497
where there are two noticeable changes in quality during a syllable, as in a
common pronunciation of English fire and tower /fa}v/ and /taäv/. The distinction
between triphthongs and the more common diphthongs is sometimes
phonetically unclear.
trisyllable (n.) A term used in phonetics and phonology to refer to a unit,
typically a word, consisting of three syllables, such as consequence and
happily; it contrasts with monosyllable and disyllable. A trisyllabic form is
distinguished from monosyllabic and disyllabic forms.
trivalent (adj.)
see valency
trochee (n.) A traditional term in metrics for a unit of poetic rhythm comprising
a single pair of stressed + unstressed syllables (as in David); also called
a trochaic foot. In metrical phonology, the notion is used as an informal
name for bounded left-dominant feet, which display this rhythmical structure.
See also iamb.
troponymy (n.) In semantics, a term used for a type of entailment found in
verbs: the activity referred to by a troponym and its superordinate are always
temporally co-extensive. An example is the relationship between limp and walk.
By contrast, snore is not a troponym of sleep.
trough (n.)
see peak
true generalization condition see general (2)
T rule (n.)
see transformation
truncation (n.) A term sometimes used in phonology to refer to a process
of word shortening which is phonologically predictable. Certain types of
hypocoristic (pet-name), for example, have been shown to be truncated in a
regular way. The process has attracted particular attention in prosodic morphology,
where it is used to illustrate such processes as template-mapping
and prosodic circumscription.
truth-conditional semantics An approach to semantics which maintains that
meaning can be defined in terms of the conditions in the real world under
which a sentence may be used to make a true statement. It can be distinguished
from approaches which define meaning in terms of the conditions on the use of
sentences in communication, such as the function of the sentence in terms of
speech acts, or the speaker’s beliefs about the sentence (see pragmatics).
truth conditions A term used in logic and semantics for the conditions under
which a sentence is true. For example, Snow is white is true if and only if snow
is white.
truth functional A term used in logic and semantics to refer to connectives
or other operators which are analysed as denoting truth functions – that is,