Epenthesis

In phonology, epenthesis (ɪˈpɛnθəsɪs,_ɛ-; Greek ἐπένθεσις) means the addition of one or more sounds to a word, especially in the beginning syllable (prothesis) or in the ending syllable (paragoge) or in-between two syllabic sounds in a word. The word epenthesis comes from epi- "in addition to" and en- "in" and thesis "putting". Epenthesis may be divided into two types: excrescence for the addition of a consonant, and for the addition of a vowel, svarabhakti (in Sanskrit) or alternatively anaptyxis (ˌænəpˈtɪksɪs). The opposite process, where one or more sounds are removed, is referred to as elision. Epenthesis arises for a variety of reasons. The phonotactics of a given language may discourage vowels in hiatus or consonant clusters, and a consonant or vowel may be added to make pronunciation easier. Epenthesis may be represented in writing, or it may be a feature only of the spoken language. A consonant may be added to separate vowels in hiatus, as is the case with linking and intrusive R in English. drawing → draw-r-ing A consonant may be placed between consonants in a consonant cluster where the place of articulation is different (such as if one consonant is labial and the other is alveolar). something → somepthing hamster → hampster a-mrotos → ambrotos (see below) A vowel may be placed between consonants to separate them. Hamtramck → Hamtramick While epenthesis most often occurs between two vowels or two consonants, it can also occur between a vowel and a consonant or at the ends of words. For example, the Japanese prefix 真〜(ま〜) transforms regularly to 真っ〜(まっ〜) when it is followed by a consonant, as in 真っ白(まっしろ). The English suffix -t, often found in the form -st, as in amongst (from among + -st), is an example of terminal excrescence. SandhiLinking and intrusive R and Liaison (French)Excrescence is the epenthesis of a consonant. Latin tremulare > French trembler ("to tremble") Old English þunor > English thunder French messager, passager > English messenger, passenger French message, messager > Portuguese mensagem, mensageiro (Reconstructed) Proto-Germanic *sēaną > Old English sāwan, Old Saxon sāian ("to sow") (Reconstructed) Proto-Greek *amrotos > Ancient Greek ἄμβροτος ("immortal"; cf.