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Q&A Vowel insertion phenomenon

The closest term I’ve found is anaptyxis, the form of epenthesis that refers to inserting a vowel, but this is still fairly vague. A similar phenomenon is mentioned in this paper, regarding the pr...

posted 1y ago by Eric Isaac‭  ·  edited 1y ago by Eric Isaac‭

Answer
#2: Post edited by user avatar Eric Isaac‭ · 2023-12-03T15:43:36Z (about 1 year ago)
grammar correction (remove a)
  • The closest term I’ve found is _anaptyxis_, the form of [epenthesis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epenthesis) that refers to inserting a vowel, but this is still a fairly vague.
  • A similar phenomenon is mentioned [in this paper](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284385966_Non-Obligatory_Vowel_Epenthesis_in_-Ed_Pseudowords_Ambiguity_in_Syllabification_Resolved_by_Syntax_and_Suffixation), regarding the pronunciation of words ending in -ed, -ly, and -ness. Specifically, the tendency for English speakers to add an extra syllable (consisting of an extra vowel) to words that undergo specific suffix modifications when their grammatical purpose is changed (e.g. feeble -> feebly, going from adjective -> adverb). Here, the phenomenon is referred to as _vowel epenthesis_ resulting from ambiguity in syllabification. Still vague unfortunately.
  • It’s possible that this phenomenon hasn’t been given a more specific name, or one that has been generally accepted by the linguistic community. If one did exist, I would expect to be able to find relevant publications via sites like Google Scholar or Research Gate making use of the term.
  • **Cited**.
  • Kawamoto, A. H., & Farrar, W. T., IV. (1990). Non-Obligatory Vowel Epenthesis in -Ed Pseudowords: Ambiguity in Syllabification Resolved by Syntax and Suffixation. In Language and Speech (Vol. 33, Issue 2, pp. 137–158). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/002383099003300203
  • The closest term I’ve found is _anaptyxis_, the form of [epenthesis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epenthesis) that refers to inserting a vowel, but this is still fairly vague.
  • A similar phenomenon is mentioned [in this paper](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284385966_Non-Obligatory_Vowel_Epenthesis_in_-Ed_Pseudowords_Ambiguity_in_Syllabification_Resolved_by_Syntax_and_Suffixation), regarding the pronunciation of words ending in -ed, -ly, and -ness. Specifically, the tendency for English speakers to add an extra syllable (consisting of an extra vowel) to words that undergo specific suffix modifications when their grammatical purpose is changed (e.g. feeble -> feebly, going from adjective -> adverb). Here, the phenomenon is referred to as _vowel epenthesis_ resulting from ambiguity in syllabification. Still vague unfortunately.
  • It’s possible that this phenomenon hasn’t been given a more specific name, or one that has been generally accepted by the linguistic community. If one did exist, I would expect to be able to find relevant publications via sites like Google Scholar or Research Gate making use of the term.
  • **Cited**.
  • Kawamoto, A. H., & Farrar, W. T., IV. (1990). Non-Obligatory Vowel Epenthesis in -Ed Pseudowords: Ambiguity in Syllabification Resolved by Syntax and Suffixation. In Language and Speech (Vol. 33, Issue 2, pp. 137–158). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/002383099003300203
#1: Initial revision by user avatar Eric Isaac‭ · 2023-12-03T14:06:43Z (about 1 year ago)
The closest term I’ve found is _anaptyxis_, the form of [epenthesis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epenthesis) that refers to inserting a vowel, but this is still a fairly vague.

A similar phenomenon is mentioned [in this paper](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284385966_Non-Obligatory_Vowel_Epenthesis_in_-Ed_Pseudowords_Ambiguity_in_Syllabification_Resolved_by_Syntax_and_Suffixation), regarding the pronunciation of words ending in -ed, -ly, and -ness. Specifically, the tendency for English speakers to add an extra syllable (consisting of an extra vowel) to words that undergo specific suffix modifications when their grammatical purpose is changed (e.g. feeble -> feebly, going from adjective -> adverb). Here, the phenomenon is referred to as _vowel epenthesis_ resulting from ambiguity in syllabification. Still vague unfortunately.

It’s possible that this phenomenon hasn’t been given a more specific name, or one that has been generally accepted by the linguistic community. If one did exist, I would expect to be able to find relevant publications via sites like Google Scholar or Research Gate making use of the term.

**Cited**.   
Kawamoto, A. H., & Farrar, W. T., IV. (1990). Non-Obligatory Vowel Epenthesis in -Ed Pseudowords: Ambiguity in Syllabification Resolved by Syntax and Suffixation. In Language and Speech (Vol. 33, Issue 2, pp. 137–158). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/002383099003300203