Apophonic

/ˌæpəˈfɑnɪk/ adjective

Definition

Relating to or involving a change in vowel sound within the root of a word, as seen in irregular verbs and plural forms.

Etymology

From apophonia plus -ic suffix, creating an adjective to describe words that exhibit these sound changes in linguistic analysis.

Kelly Says

Words like 'man-men,' 'foot-feet,' and 'mouse-mice' are all apophonic—they change their internal vowels instead of adding regular suffixes. This pattern is really old, going back to the ancestor languages of Germanic speech.

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