ablaut
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ab·laut
(äb'lout', äp'-) 
n.
A vowel change, characteristic of Indo-European languages, that accompanies a change in grammatical function; for example, i, a, u in sing, sang, sung. Also called gradation.
n.
A vowel change, characteristic of Indo-European languages, that accompanies a change in grammatical function; for example, i, a, u in sing, sang, sung. Also called gradation.
[German : ab, off (from Middle High German ab, abe , from Old High German aba) + Laut, sound (from Middle High German lūt , from Old High German hlūt).]
ablaut (äp'lout) [Ger.,=off-sound], in inflection, vowel variation (as in English sing, sang, sung, song) caused by former differences in syllabic accent. In a prehistoric period the corresponding inflected forms of the language (known through internal reconstruction) had differences in accent rather than in vowel. Phonological change resulted in alteration of syllable structure and in vowel gradation. See umlaut.
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categories related to 'ablaut'
- Linguistics and Writing Systems - ablaut: regular alternation of internal vowel, reflecting change in grammatical function; apophony
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