compensatory lengthening

nounHistorical Linguistics.

the lengthening of a vowel when a following consonant is weakened or lost, as the change from Old English niht [nikht] /nɪxt/ to night [nahyt], /naɪt/, with loss of [kh] /x/ and lengthening of [i] /ɪ/ to a vowel that eventually became [ahy]. /aɪ/.

Words Nearby compensatory lengthening

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use compensatory lengthening in a sentence

This was lost before -an of the infinitive, contraction and compensatory lengthening being the result.
Anglo-Saxon Grammar and Exercise Book | C. Alphonso Smith
So in many cases there is a choice between compensatory lengthening and compensatory pause.
English Verse | Raymond MacDonald Alden, Ph.D.

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