fronting

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of front. Use this '-ing' form for an action happening now or as the name of the action.

   The cottage fronting the lake belongs to my aunt.

   She enjoys fronting the new band on weekends.

   Note
2. 2
   nounslanguncountable

   Pretending to be richer, tougher, or cooler than you really are to impress people.

   Like wearing a mask so people think you are braver or richer than you really are.

   All that fronting won't fool anyone who actually knows him.

   His constant fronting about money got on his friends' nerves.

   Similarposturing, pretense, posing

   Note
3. 3
   noununcountable

   Moving a word or phrase closer to the start of a sentence, often to give it more emphasis.

   Like moving the most important word to the front of a line so people notice it first.

   In the sentence 'Cake, I love,' the fronting puts 'cake' first for effect.

   Teachers use fronting to show how word order can change emphasis.

   Note
4. 4
   noununcountable

   When a vowel or consonant is spoken farther forward in the mouth than usual.

   Like making a sound closer to your lips instead of deep in your throat.

   The fronting of that vowel makes the whole word sound brighter.

   Many young children show fronting when they say 'tup' instead of 'cup'.

   Oppositebacking

   Note
5. 5
   noununcountable

   A pattern where a front vowel replaces a back vowel when a word changes form.

   Like the way 'tooth' becomes 'teeth': the vowel moves toward the front.

   The change from 'foot' to 'feet' is an example of fronting.

   English words like 'mouse' and 'mice' show fronting in the plural.

   Note
6. 6
   noununcountable

   A similar vowel pattern that sets a dialect apart from the standard or an older form of the language.

   Like how people in one town say their vowels a little farther forward than everyone else.

   The fronting in that regional accent makes its vowels sound unlike standard speech.

   Researchers measured the fronting across several towns in the area.

   Note

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