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Umlaut: meaning, definitions and examples

๐Ÿ”ค
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umlaut

 

[ หˆumlaสŠt ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

linguistic mark

An umlaut is a diacritical mark that is placed over a vowel to indicate a change in the way the vowel is pronounced. In the German language, it typically signifies a change in vowel quality, such as turning 'a' into 'รค', 'o' into 'รถ', or 'u' into 'รผ'. While commonly associated with German, umlauts can also appear in other languages and are an important aspect of phonetics and orthography. They help distinguish meanings of words that would otherwise be spelled similarly.

Synonyms

diacritic, diacritical mark, vowel modification

Examples of usage

  • The 'รค' in 'Fรคcher' is an umlaut.
  • Umlauts modify the sound of vowels.
  • In German, umlauts change pronunciation.
  • Exceptional usage of umlauts can be found in loanwords.

Translations

Translations of the word "umlaut" in other languages:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น umlaut

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เค‰เคฎเฅเคฒเคพเค‰เคŸ

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Umlaut

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ umlaut

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ัƒะผะปััƒั‚

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ umlaut

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ใ‚ฆใƒ ใƒฉใ‚ฆใƒˆ

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท trรฉma

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ diรฉresis

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท umlaut

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ์›€๋ผ์šฐํŠธ

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ุฃูˆู…ู„ุงูˆุช

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ umlaut

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ umlaut

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ๅ˜้Ÿณ็ฌฆๅท

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ umlaut

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ umlaut

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ัƒะผะปะฐัƒั‚

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒฃแƒ›แƒšแƒแƒฃแƒขแƒ˜

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ umlaut

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ diรฉresis

Etymology

The word 'umlaut' is borrowed from German, where it literally means 'around sound'. The term was first used in the 19th century, although the concept behind the modification of vowel sounds can be traced back to the origins of the Germanic languages. In Old High German, certain vowels changed their pronunciation based on the influences of surrounding soundsโ€”a phenomenon known as 'vowel mutation'. The suffix 'laut' in German means 'sound', which in conjunction with 'um-' emphasizes the alteration of vowel sounds. This feature of German phonetics became particularly prominent in the development of the language and influenced other Germanic languages as well.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #35,684, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.