umlaut

See also: Umlaut and ümlaut

English

WOTD – 12 November 2008

Two umlaut diacritics over a.

Development of the umlaut in German handwriting.

Etymology

From German Umlaut in the 19^th century, from um- or um (“around, re-, trans-”) + Laut (“sound”), from Old High German hlūt. More at umb, loud.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈʊm.laʊt/, /ˈʌm.laʊt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈʊm.laʊt/, /ˈum.laʊt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊt

Noun

umlaut (plural umlauts or umlaute)

1. (linguistics) An assimilatory process whereby a vowel is pronounced more like a following vocoid that is separated by one or more consonants.
2. (linguistics) The umlaut process (as above) that occurred historically in Germanic languages whereby back vowels became front vowels when followed by syllable containing a front vocoid (e.g. Germanic lūsiz > Old English lȳs(i) > Modern English lice).
3. (linguistics) A vowel so assimilated.
4. (orthography) The diacritical mark ( ¨ ) placed over a vowel when it indicates a (rounded) front vowel
5. (informal, orthography) A diaeresis.

   "Naïve" takes an umlaut because it is pronounced as two syllables.

Usage notes

• Although this symbol has the same form as the diaeresis/dieresis, it has a different function and so in standard and technical usage these two terms are not interchangeable. The term for the diacritic mark, as opposed to its function, is trema.
• When spelling a German word out loud, one can say “(vowel) umlaut” or “umlauted (vowel)”. e.g. “o umlaut” or “umlauted o” (ö). (German practice is to say “o Umlaut”, or more commonly to pronounce the letters, so the name of "Ö" is [øː], just as "A" is [aː] and "B" is [beː].) In the North of Germany, "ä" and "e" are pronounced identically; therefore, one would tend to say "a Umlaut" to avoid confusion.
• In alphabetic orders, "ä, ö, ü" are treated as "a, o, u" or "ae, oe, ue" in German (so the word lügen comes directly after or before the word lugen). In other languages, such as Swedish, the umlaut letters may have their own position in the alphabet.
• The usual English plural is umlauts, but the form umlaute (after the German) has seen some use. It is quite rare, however.

Synonyms

• (orthography): trema
• (linguistics): vowel mutation

Derived terms

• heavy metal umlaut

Related terms

• vowel harmony

Translations

partial assimilation of a vowel

• Breton: metafoniezh f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 元音變音／元音变音 (yuányīn biànyīn)

• Czech: přehláska (cs) f
• Dutch: umlaut (nl) m
• Finnish: vokaalinmukaus, umlaut (fi) (in German and closely related languages)
• French: métaphonie (fr) f
• Georgian: უმლაუტი (umlauṭi)
• German: Umlaut (de) m
• Greek: μεταφωνία f (metafonía)
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} hangelváltozás
• Italian: metafonesi f
• Japanese: ウムラウト (ja) (umurauto)
• Macedonian: преглас m (preglas)
• Polish: umlaut (pl) m
• Portuguese: umlaut m, metafonia (pt) f
• Russian: умла́ут (ru) m (umláut), умля́ут (ru) (umljáut)
• Spanish: metafonía (es) f
• Swedish: omljud (sv) n
• Welsh: affeithiad m

vowel so assimilated

• Czech: přehláska (cs) f
• Estonian: täpitäht
• German: Halbdoppellaut, Umlaut (de), umgelautet (de)er Vokal (de) m

diacritical mark

• Bulgarian: умла́ут (bg) m (umláut)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 分音符號／分音符号 (fēnyīn fúhào), 分音符 (zh) (fēnyīnfú)

• Danish: omlyd c
• Dutch: umlaut (nl) m
• Esperanto: umlaŭto (eo), surdupunkto
• Estonian: täpid
• Finnish: treema (fi)
• French: tréma (fr)
• German: Umlaut (de) m
• Greek: διαλυτικά (el) n pl (dialytiká)
• Hebrew: אומלאוט
• Hungarian: tréma (hu), umlaut (hu)
• Icelandic: tvídepill m
• Irish: umlabht m
• Japanese: ウムラウト (ja) (umurauto)
• Kazakh: умлаут (umlaut)
• Korean: 움라우트 (umnauteu)
• Macedonian: преглас m (preglas)
• Norwegian: omlyd
• Polish: umlaut (pl) m
• Portuguese: umlaut m, trema (pt) m
• Russian: умла́ут (ru) m (umláut), умля́ут (ru) (umljáut)
• Slovak: dve bodky pl
• Spanish: diéresis (es) f
• Swedish: omljud (sv)
• Turkish: umlaut (tr)
• Ukrainian: умла́ут m (umláut)
• Volapük: vokät (vo)
• Welsh: didolnod m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} უმლაუტი (umlauṭi)
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} mutatio vocalis f

Verb

umlaut (third-person singular simple present umlauts, present participle umlauting, simple past and past participle umlauted)

1. (transitive) To place an umlaut over (a vowel).
2. (linguistics, transitive) To modify (a word) so that an umlaut is required in it.

   an umlauting vowel

See also

• diaeresis, dieresis

Anagrams

• mutual

Dutch

Etymology

From German Umlaut.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈum.lɑu̯t/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: um‧laut

Noun

umlaut m (plural umlauten)

1. (Germanic grammar) umlaut

Derived terms

• umlautsfactor

Finnish

Etymology

From German Umlaut.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈumlɑut/, [ˈumlɑ̝ut̪]
• Rhymes: -umlɑut
• Syllabification^(key): um‧la‧ut

Noun

umlaut

1. umlaut (the diacritical mark ( ¨ ) placed over various vowels: a > ä, o > ö or u > ü in German and some closely related languages)

Declension

Inflection of umlaut (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		umlaut	umlautit
genitive		umlautin	umlautien
partitive		umlautia	umlauteja
illative		umlautiin	umlauteihin
		singular	plural
nominative		umlaut	umlautit
accusative	nom.	umlaut	umlautit
	gen.	umlautin
genitive		umlautin	umlautien
partitive		umlautia	umlauteja
inessive		umlautissa	umlauteissa
elative		umlautista	umlauteista
illative		umlautiin	umlauteihin
adessive		umlautilla	umlauteilla
ablative		umlautilta	umlauteilta
allative		umlautille	umlauteille
essive		umlautina	umlauteina
translative		umlautiksi	umlauteiksi
abessive		umlautitta	umlauteitta
instructive		—	umlautein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of umlaut (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative umlautini umlautini accusative nom. umlautini umlautini gen. umlautini genitive umlautini umlautieni partitive umlautiani umlautejani inessive umlautissani umlauteissani elative umlautistani umlauteistani illative umlautiini umlauteihini adessive umlautillani umlauteillani ablative umlautiltani umlauteiltani allative umlautilleni umlauteilleni essive umlautinani umlauteinani translative umlautikseni umlauteikseni abessive umlautittani umlauteittani instructive — — comitative — umlauteineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative umlautisi umlautisi accusative nom. umlautisi umlautisi gen. umlautisi genitive umlautisi umlautiesi partitive umlautiasi umlautejasi inessive umlautissasi umlauteissasi elative umlautistasi umlauteistasi illative umlautiisi umlauteihisi adessive umlautillasi umlauteillasi ablative umlautiltasi umlauteiltasi allative umlautillesi umlauteillesi essive umlautinasi umlauteinasi translative umlautiksesi umlauteiksesi abessive umlautittasi umlauteittasi instructive — — comitative — umlauteinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative umlautimme umlautimme accusative nom. umlautimme umlautimme gen. umlautimme genitive umlautimme umlautiemme partitive umlautiamme umlautejamme inessive umlautissamme umlauteissamme elative umlautistamme umlauteistamme illative umlautiimme umlauteihimme adessive umlautillamme umlauteillamme ablative umlautiltamme umlauteiltamme allative umlautillemme umlauteillemme essive umlautinamme umlauteinamme translative umlautiksemme umlauteiksemme abessive umlautittamme umlauteittamme instructive — — comitative — umlauteinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative umlautinne umlautinne accusative nom. umlautinne umlautinne gen. umlautinne genitive umlautinne umlautienne partitive umlautianne umlautejanne inessive umlautissanne umlauteissanne elative umlautistanne umlauteistanne illative umlautiinne umlauteihinne adessive umlautillanne umlauteillanne ablative umlautiltanne umlauteiltanne allative umlautillenne umlauteillenne essive umlautinanne umlauteinanne translative umlautiksenne umlauteiksenne abessive umlautittanne umlauteittanne instructive — — comitative — umlauteinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative umlautinsa umlautinsa accusative nom. umlautinsa umlautinsa gen. umlautinsa genitive umlautinsa umlautiensa partitive umlautiaan umlautiansa umlautejaan umlautejansa inessive umlautissaan umlautissansa umlauteissaan umlauteissansa elative umlautistaan umlautistansa umlauteistaan umlauteistansa illative umlautiinsa umlauteihinsa adessive umlautillaan umlautillansa umlauteillaan umlauteillansa ablative umlautiltaan umlautiltansa umlauteiltaan umlauteiltansa allative umlautilleen umlautillensa umlauteilleen umlauteillensa essive umlautinaan umlautinansa umlauteinaan umlauteinansa translative umlautikseen umlautiksensa umlauteikseen umlauteiksensa abessive umlautittaan umlautittansa umlauteittaan umlauteittansa instructive — — comitative — umlauteineen umlauteinensa

Hypernyms

• vokaalinmukaus

Anagrams

• muulta

Manx

Etymology

From German Umlaut.

Noun

umlaut m (genitive singular umlaut, plural umlautyn)

1. (linguistics, orthography) umlaut

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from German Umlaut.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈum.lawt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -umlawt
• Syllabification: um‧laut

Noun

umlaut m inan

1. (phonology) umlaut (the partial assimilation of vowels in some Germanic languages)
2. umlaut (diacritical mark)

Declension

Declension of umlaut

	singular	plural
nominative	umlaut	umlauty
genitive	umlautu	umlautów
dative	umlautowi	umlautom
accusative	umlaut	umlauty
instrumental	umlautem	umlautami
locative	umlaucie	umlautach
vocative	umlaucie	umlauty

Further reading

• umlaut in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Noun

umlaut m (plural umlauts)

1. (linguistics) umlaut (the partial assimilation of a vowel in Germanic languages)
2. (orthography) umlaut (the diacritical mark ¨ used to indicate such assimilation)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from German Umlaut.

Noun

umlaut n (uncountable)

1. umlaut

Declension

declension of umlaut (singular only)

	singular
n gender	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) umlaut	umlautul
genitive/dative	(unui) umlaut	umlautului
vocative	umlautule