The old inflection has been preserved in the verbs of the type: infinitive - preterite - past participle which retain both the full vowel gradation and the past participle en ending, e.g. ride - rode - ridden.
The Semitic languages preserve an admirable art of fine distinctions of meaning through many vowel gradations.
When ablaut is a regular feature of a language's grammar, it is often called vowel gradation.
Says Cassidy in his well-known book Jamaica Talk: ‘In Standard English one finds three kinds of iterative: the simple ones like hush-hush…; those with vowel gradation like ding-dong…; and the rhyming ones like handy-dandy’.
There are 17 lettered consonants and 11 lettered vowels in alternate combination with vowel gradations to signify plurals and tenses.
Definition of vowel gradation in US English:
vowel gradation
noun
another term for ablaut
Example sentencesExamples
The Semitic languages preserve an admirable art of fine distinctions of meaning through many vowel gradations.
There are 17 lettered consonants and 11 lettered vowels in alternate combination with vowel gradations to signify plurals and tenses.
When ablaut is a regular feature of a language's grammar, it is often called vowel gradation.
The old inflection has been preserved in the verbs of the type: infinitive - preterite - past participle which retain both the full vowel gradation and the past participle en ending, e.g. ride - rode - ridden.
Says Cassidy in his well-known book Jamaica Talk: ‘In Standard English one finds three kinds of iterative: the simple ones like hush-hush…; those with vowel gradation like ding-dong…; and the rhyming ones like handy-dandy’.