Apophony: Encyclopedia II - Apophony - Ablaut vs. umlaut

Apophony - Ablaut vs. umlaut

The Germanic scholars who coined the terms ablaut and umlaut in the 19th century used them to distinguish two types of vowel alternation patterns with differing origins and differing reflexes in the modern languages. In this usage, umlaut is a specific case of vowel alternation that has developed from a historical instance of regressive vowel harmony. Indo-European ablaut is a different vowel alternation of uncertain origin. The synchronic distinction lies in the fact that Germanic umlaut always involves vowel fronting; it is a regular system, whereas in the modern languages ablaut appears to have no regularity.

This traditional distinction is retained by historical linguists, and is particularly important in the context of Indo-European diachronic studies. It is rather less important for synchronic studies, where for most purposes the vowel alternation in foot/feet is analogous to that in sing/sang/sung. However, the regularity of Germanic umlaut means that this distinction remains standard in textbooks for learners of German, Dutch and Scandinavian languages.

Later linguists have broadened the meaning of ablaut to refer to vowel alternation generally, and of umlaut to refer also to other types and instances of regressive vowel harmony. When the terminology is used in this more inclusive way, umlaut is considered a sub-set of ablaut. Ambiguity can of course be avoided by using alternative terms (apophany, gradation, alternation, internal modification) for the broader sense of the word.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Ablaut vs. umlaut", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki