umlaut

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Pronunciation

• (British) IPA: /ˈʊm.laʊt/, /ˈʌm.laʊt/
• (America) IPA: /ˈʊm.laʊt/, /ˈum.laʊt/

Noun

umlaut (plural umlauts)

1. (linguistics) An assimilatory process whereby a vowel is pronounced more like a following vocoid that is separated by one or more consonants.
2. (linguistics) The umlaut process (as above) that occurred historically in Germanic languages whereby back vowels became front vowels when followed by syllable containing a front vocoid (e.g. Germanic lūsiz > Old English lȳs(i) > Modern English lice).
3. (linguistics) A vowel so assimilated.
4. (orthography) The diacritical mark ( ¨ ) placed over a vowel when it indicates a (rounded) front vowel
5. (informal, orthography) diaeresis

   Naïve takes an umlaut as it's pronounced as two syllables.

Synonyms

• (orthography) trema
• (linguistics) vowel mutation

Related terms

• vowel harmony

Translations

• German: Umlaut
• Portuguese: umlaut, metafonia
• Russian: умла́ут
• Spanish: metafonía

Translations

• German: Halbdoppellaut, Umlaut, umgelauteter Vokal

Translations

• French: tréma
• German: Umlaut
• Portuguese: umlaut, trema
• Russian: умла́ут
• Spanish: diéresis

Verb

umlaut (umlauts, present participle umlauting; past and past participle umlauted)

1. (transitive) To place an umlaut over (a vowel).
2. (linguistics, transitive) To modify (a word) so that an umlaut is required in it.

   an umlauting vowel

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