noun
- A change in the vowel sound of a word to indicate a grammatical distinction, such as tense or number; ablaut.
Usage: linguistics; also called ablaut or vowel gradation
Examples
- The English verb 'sing, sang, sung' demonstrates apophony through its changing vowel sounds.
- Apophony is common in Germanic languages like German and English.
- In the word pair 'man' and 'men', apophony marks the plural form.
- Linguists study apophony as a key feature of Indo-European language evolution.
- The distinction between 'foot' and 'feet' is an example of apophony in English.