Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics.pdf

Dictionary of language and linguistics 1240umlaut (also vowel mutation)1 German term for an (anticipated, partial) assimilation of the vowel of the syllable withmain stress to the vowel of the following (secondary stressed or unstressed) syllable (vowel harmony). A distinction can be drawn between palatalization (or ‘fronting’),velarization (or ‘backing,’ secondary articulation), raising, and lowering ( raisingvs lowering). The most significant example is i-umlaut, found in all Germanic dialects(with the exception of Gothic), which brought about a palatalization ofback vowels anda palatalization and raising of low vowels. English reflexes of i-umlaut can be found invarious plural forms (e.g. mouse>mice) and in other cases (e.g. drench