intelligibility
121atheism — /ay thee iz euhm/, n. 1. the doctrine or belief that there is no God. 2. disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings. [1580 90; < Gk áthe(os) godless + ISM] * * * Critique and denial of metaphysical beliefs in God or divine beings.… …
122dialect — /duy euh lekt /, n. 1. Ling. a variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others… …
123epistemology — epistemological /i pis teuh meuh loj i keuhl/, adj. epistemologically, adv. epistemologist, n. /i pis teuh mol euh jee/, n. a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge. [1855 60; < Gk… …
124metaphysics — /met euh fiz iks/, n. (used with a sing. v.) 1. the branch of philosophy that treats of first principles, includes ontology and cosmology, and is intimately connected with epistemology. 2. philosophy, esp. in its more abstruse branches. 3. the… …
125Altaic languages — Group of more than 50 languages, comprising the Turkic, Mongolian, and Manchu Tungus subfamilies. Altaic languages are spoken across Eurasia by more than 140 million people (the overwhelming majority of whom speak Turkic languages). Most scholars …
126Iranian languages — Major subgroup of the Indo Iranian branch of the Indo European language family. Iranian languages are probably spoken by more than 80 million people in southwestern and southern Asia. Only two Old Iranian languages are known, Avestan and Old… …
127Malherbe, François de — born 1555, in or near Caen, France died Oct. 16, 1628, Paris French poet and theoretician. He converted to Roman Catholicism after receiving a Protestant education. In 1577 he became secretary to the governor of Provence, Henri d Angoulême. His… …
128Sinitic languages — Sinitic Geographic distribution: China Linguistic classification: Sino Tibetan Sinitic Subdivisions: Chinese Bai (disputed) …
