Explanation
A change in a stem vowel caused by historical or morphological factors under the influence of an adjacent phonetic environment. In the atlas, umlaut is explored as a relationship between form, expectation, and effect. It makes past phonetic relationships audible in modern grammar.
Example
Gast – Gäste.
Counterexample
Haus – Häuser additionally contains an inflectional ending; the stem change itself is the umlaut.
Distinction
Haus – Häuser additionally contains an inflectional ending; the stem change itself is the umlaut.
Effect on thought and perception
The term makes past phonetic adjacencies audible in contemporary grammar. As a result, a linguistic order that was previously taken for granted becomes perceptible as an active thought process.
Resonance
Resonance arises when umlaut is not only recognized but also experienced in its directional effect between expression, body, context, and interpretation.
Cite this entry
Reich, Michael (Hrsg./ed.): „Umlaut“. Atlas der Sprache, AT-091-016. ATLAS 251, data model 1.6.0. https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-091-016The address remains stable; editorial content may evolve. A verified modification date per entry is not yet available. Include your access date for precise references.