How Do You Spell AUTOPHONY?

1. Autophony is a term that refers to the phenomenon of hearing one's own voice or bodily sounds amplified or echoed within oneself. It is derived from the Greek words "autos," meaning self, and "phone," meaning sound or voice.

   In a medical context, autophony is often associated with abnormal auditory conditions, particularly related to the middle ear. For instance, it can occur as a symptom of a disorder known as patulous Eustachian tube, which is characterized by a malfunctioning of the Eustachian tube - a small passage that connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx. When this tube becomes abnormally open or fails to close properly, it can lead to autophony, causing the individual to hear their own breathing, chewing, or voice sounds excessively loud and echoing.

   Autophony may also be experienced in cases of conductive hearing loss, where sound transmission is inhibited through the outer or middle ear due to factors such as earwax buildup, ear infections, or fluid accumulation. In such cases, the diminished ability to perceive external sounds can accentuate internal sounds, resulting in autophony.

   While autophony is often associated with medical conditions, it can also have metaphorical or psychological implications. It may be used to describe a feeling of self-centeredness or introspection, where an individual becomes acutely aware of their own thoughts, emotions, or experiences, potentially at the expense of focusing on external stimuli or the perspectives of others.

2. Increased resonance of one's own voice, breath sounds, arterial murmurs, etc., noted especially in disease of the middle ear or of the nasal fossae; tympanophonia.

   A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.

Common Misspellings for AUTOPHONY

The etymology of the word "autophony" can be broken down into two components: "auto" and "phony".

The prefix "auto-" comes from the Greek word "autos", meaning "self" or "oneself". It indicates something related to oneself or being self-contained.

The term "phony" is derived from the Greek word "phone", meaning "sound" or "voice". It forms the basis for many words related to sound, such as "telephone" or "phonetics".

Therefore, "autophony" combines the prefix "auto-" with the suffix "-phony" to denote the concept of hearing or perceiving sound originating from oneself.