svarabhakti

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

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, francisco,
sv,
sv 40,
sv40,
svalbard,
svc.,
svedberg,
svedberg unit,
svedberg, theodor,
svelte

Compare epenthesis.

Origin of svarabhakti

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