svarabhakti

[ sfahr-ah-bahk-tee; Sanskrit svuh-ruh-buhk-ti ]

/ ˌsfɑr ɑˈbɑk ti; Sanskrit svə rəˈbʌk tɪ /

noun Linguistics.

the process of inserting vowel sounds into a consonant cluster, as in a loanword to make it conform to the pattern of the speaker's language and, hence, more easily pronounceable, as in the Italian pronunciation

[lahn-tsee-ke-nek-kaw] /ˌlɑn tsi kɛˈnɛk kɔ/ for German Landsknecht

[lahnts-knekht] /ˈlɑntsˌknɛxt/.

Nearby words

suárez, sv, sv 40, sv40, svalbard, svarabhakti, svc., svedberg, svedberg unit, svelte, svengali

Compare epenthesis.

Origin of svarabhakti

1875–80; < Sanskrit: vowel segment (inserted in particular environments)