well, i'm feeling too lazy right now to pull out the oed, or even the chicago manual of style (still haven't ever unpacked all my books) but cooperation, reelection, etc. tend to get the umlaut, and i suspect this is primarily for readability purposes. all right, let me try to find them. now i'm curious. damn library school.
umlaut /'umlaut/ n & v. M19. [G, f um- about + Laut sound.] A n. 1 Philol. Vowel change arising historically by partial assimilation to an adjacent sound, usu. a vowel or semivowel in a following syllable (often now lost), as is German Mann, Mannner, or English man, men. Also called (vowel) mutation. M19. 2 A dialectical sign placed over a vowel, esp. in Germanic languages, to indicate such a change. M20. B v. Philol. 1 v.t. Modify (a form or sound) by (an) umlaut. M19. 2 v.i. Undergo such a modification. L20.
so i guess the action of umlaut may exist in english but we arent in the habit of noting it with the diacritical mark. maybe this will help, and maybe it wont. (forgot the link)
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umlaut /'umlaut/ n & v. M19. [G, f um- about + Laut sound.] A n. 1 Philol. Vowel change arising historically by partial assimilation to an adjacent sound, usu. a vowel or semivowel in a following syllable (often now lost), as is German Mann, Mannner, or English man, men. Also called (vowel) mutation. M19. 2 A dialectical sign placed over a vowel, esp. in Germanic languages, to indicate such a change. M20. B v. Philol. 1 v.t. Modify (a form or sound) by (an) umlaut. M19. 2 v.i. Undergo such a modification. L20.
- linda 11-14-2000 1:53 am
so i guess the action of umlaut may exist in english but we arent in the habit of noting it with the diacritical mark. maybe this will help, and maybe it wont. (forgot the link)
- dave 11-14-2000 7:48 am [add a comment]