Centralization (vowel)
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For pairs of symbols (u • g) the left symbol stands for the unrounded vowel, the right symbol for the rounded vowel. |
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In linguistics is centralization (also weakening , vocal attenuation , vowel weakening or Vokalverdumpfung ) for the displacement of the tongue at the articulation of vowels in the middle region in the direction of the central vowel [ ə ] ( schwa ).
Examples:
- the unstressed vowels in English
- the unstressed e in German final syllables
Under centralizing the center is understood not a phonetic shift to central vowel [ ə ] , wherein the degree of mouth opening changes, but a displacement of the tongue towards the center position with unchanged mouth opening. A centralized back to the middle [ u ] would accordingly towards [ ʉ ] shifted, a centralized [ u ] contrast towards [ ʊ ] .
In the International Phonetic Alphabet , these two forms of sound displacement in the vowel are marked by the diacritics ◌̈ ( Unicode COMBINING DIAERESIS U + 0308) for centralization and ◌̽ (Unicode COMBINING X ABOVE U + 033D) for centralization towards the middle.
Under vowel weakening in inner syllables is defined as the conversion of a strong vowel in attaching a prefix to a weaker such. The internal vowel weakening occurs very often in Latin. Therefore, here are examples from Latin:
- From facere ( "to make", "do") and ad ( "forward", "add" to "... go") is ( "Add" in definition) afficere . The strong “a” in facere becomes an “i”. In afficere there is also the effect of assimilation (adjustment) ( ad + facere → afficere ).
- In the same way, capere (“take”, “take”) becomes accipere (“accept”, “take”, “take in”) after adding the prefix ad . Here, too, there is an additional effect of assimilation.
See also:
literature
- Helmut Glück (Ed.), With the collaboration of Friederike Schmöe : Metzler Lexikon Sprache. 3rd, revised edition. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2005, ISBN 3-476-02056-8 , pp. 753 f ..