TERMS: Umlaut-Ablaut

On Fri, 12 Nov 1999, Dr. David E. Bell wrote:

> From: Paul Bennett <Paul.Bennett@...>
> > I think the actual term may be ablaut, now I come to re-read it.
> Basically, one
> > of more vowels in a noun changes to a similar vowel to mark the plural.
>
> Actually I've seen both terms used for this kind of inflection.  anyone know
> what the distinction really is between umlaut and ablaut?
Umlaut is a change in vocalism which is triggered by a vowel somewhere
else, usually a suffix. Ablaut is a change in vocalism which is also the
primary exponent of some morphological category. A couple of English
examples:

        old -> elder
        the stem vowel changes because of the suffix: umlaut

        sing-sang-sung
        the stem vowel changes to mark past tense and the past
        participle

Dirk

--
Dirk Elzinga
dirk.elzinga@m.cc.utah.edu