1.noun
Alternation in the vowels of related word forms, especially in Germanic strong verbs (e.g. in sing, sang, sung)
- 'You can't even distinguish between the preterite and participle Germanic ablauts of English.'
- 'There are various categories of this: rhyming, exact and ablaut (vowel substitution).'
- 'It is the relationship between phonemic pitch and the nature of ablaut in standard Lithuanian which makes this clear.'
((n.) The substitution of one root vowel for another, thus
indicating a corresponding modification of use or meaning; vowel
permutation; as, get, gat, got; sing, song; hang, hung.)