A linguistic system or theory that emphasizes or prioritizes consonants over vowels in language structure.
From consonant (from Latin consonans, 'sounding together') plus -ism (from Greek -ismos, indicating a doctrine or practice). The term emerged in 20th-century linguistics to describe phonological frameworks focused on consonantal patterns.
Some ancient languages like Hebrew and Arabic were written with mostly consonants—readers filled in vowels from context—making consonantism a real historical reality that shaped how entire civilizations wrote!
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