Alternation: meaning, definitions and examples

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alternation

[ ˌɔːltəˈneɪʃən ]

^{Context #1}

linguistics

The occurrence of two or more distinct phonological forms of a morpheme.

Synonyms

variation, variation in form

Examples of usage

Vowel alternation in English plurals: goose/geese, mouse/mice.
Consonant alternation in English verbs: sing/sang/sung.
The alternation of stress in some English words: 'record' (noun) vs. 'record' (verb).

^{Context #2}

music

A repeated series of notes or chords in a musical composition.

Synonyms

sequence, variation

Examples of usage

The alternation between the chorus and the verse creates a dynamic structure in the song.
The pianist demonstrated skillful alternation between major and minor chords.

Translations

Translations of the word "alternation" in other languages:

🇵🇹 alternância

🇮🇳 परिवर्तन

🇩🇪 Abwechslung

🇮🇩 pergantian

🇺🇦 чергування

🇵🇱 alternacja

🇯🇵 交替

🇫🇷 alternance

🇪🇸 alternancia

🇹🇷 değişim

🇰🇷 교대

🇸🇦 تناوب

🇨🇿 střídání

🇸🇰 striedanie

🇨🇳 交替

🇸🇮 izmenjava

🇮🇸 skipt

🇰🇿 ауыстыру

🇬🇪 მონაცვლეობა

🇦🇿 əvəzlənmə

🇲🇽 alternancia

Word origin

The word 'alternation' originated from the Latin word 'alternationem', which means 'a change'. It first appeared in English in the late 15th century. The concept of alternation has been observed in various fields, from linguistics to music, highlighting the significance of change and variation in different contexts.