Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Transactions of the Philological Society. From Hellenistic Greek ϕώνησις sounding, speaking from ancient Greek ϕωνεῖν to produce a sound, to speak + -σις.
Definition of phonesis in US English:
phonesis
nounfə(ʊ)ˈniːsɪs
Linguistics
Utterance of vocal sounds.
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Transactions of the Philological Society. From Hellenistic Greek ϕώνησις sounding, speaking from ancient Greek ϕωνεῖν to produce a sound, to speak + -σις.