Definition and Examples of Epenthesis

Definition and Examples of Epenthesis In phonology and phonetics, epenthesis is the insertion of an extra sound into a word. Adjective: epenthetic. Verb: epenthesize. Also known as intrusion or  anaptyxis. According to some linguists, vowel epenthesis is often motivated by the need to make consonant contrasts more distinct (The Handbook of Speech Perception, 2005). Etymology: From the Greek, putting in Pronunciation: eh-PEN-the-sis Examples and Observations In certain varieties [of English], a vowel breaks up the cluster (epenthesis): film becomes [filÉ™m] in Ireland, Scotland, and South Africa.(Elly van Gelderen, A History of the English Language. John Benjamins, 2006)The history of English provides examples [of epenthesis] like the development of aemtig into empty, with epenthetic p, and of à ¾unor into thunder, with epenthetic d. Non-standard pronunciations include athalete for athlete and fillum for film, with epenthetic vowels.(R.L. Trask, A Dictionary of Phonetics and Phonology. Routledge, 1996)Fambily for FamilyShe were gentle an sweet, an the mos beautiful creetur in allinin the place where we lived. An her fambily was that proud an aristocratic thet no one could tech em with a ten-foot pole.(L. Frank Baum, Aunt Janes Nieces at Millville, 1908)Athalete for AthleteThats the thing, said McCloud plaintively. A athalete has to keep up appearances. Sure, people think a athalete makes plenty, and he do on paper. But people never s top to think hes allus gotta keep up a expensive front.(Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano, 1952) Mischeeveous for MischievousThe pronunciation (mis-chÄ“vÄ“-ɘs) is considered nonstandard  and is an example of intrusion, a phonological process that involves the addition or insertion of an extra sound. Mischievous is properly pronounced with three syllables, with the accent on the first syllable. The word is often misspelled with the suffix -ious, which matches the mispronunciation.(American Heritage Dictionaries, 100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses and Misuses. Houghton MIfflin Harcourt, 2004)  Ã‚  Vowels and Consonants-  Epenthetic sounds are not always vowels. For example, consider the two indefinite articles a and an. We know that a is used before consonant sounds and an is used before vowel sounds . . .. We may view this [n] as an epenthetic sound that breaks up a sequence of two vowels: a apple - an apple.(Anita K. Berry, Linguistic Perspectives on Language and Education. Greenwood, 2002)The Effects of Epenthesis on SpellingEpenthesis occurs frequently, both in legal and in lay language. The addition of an i before the t in speciality is an example. The pronunciation of jewelry as jewelery is a result of epenthesis, as is the pronunciation contentuous for contentious. Other examples of epenthesis: the ubiquitous relitor for realtor and that favorite of sports announcers, athalete for athlete.(Gertrude Block, Legal Writing Advice: Questions and Answers. William S. Hein, 2004)

Using the Spanish Verb Poder

Using the Spanish Verb Poder As one of the most common verbs in Spanish, poder means to be able; in its conjugated forms it is frequently translated as can or could. But partly because the English could can refer to the past, present or future, and partly because the preterite and conditional tenses of poder are often interchangeable, the use of poder isnt always straightforward. Like its English counterparts can and could, poder functions as an auxiliary verb, although in Spanish it is followed by an infinitive. With a few exceptions, most of which dont have counterparts in English, it cant stand alone. Keep in mind that poder is irregular. The -o- in the stem changes to -u- or -ue- when stressed, and the ending is shortened in the future and conditional tenses. Here are the various ways poder is used: In the Present Tense To Mean ‘Can’ or ‘May’ The present-tense forms of poder indicate the ability, either physical ability or having permission, to do something. It is distinguished from saber, which means to know how. Thus, while one may ask,  ¿Puedes tocar el piano hoy? (Can you play the piano today?), one normally would ask,  ¿Sabes tocar el piano? (Can you play the piano? or Do you know how to play the piano?). Puedo hacer lo que quiero. (I can do what I want.)No puede trabajar los domingos. (She cant work on Sundays.)No puedo ir al cine. (I cant go to the movies.) In the Future Tense To Mean ‘Will Be Able’​​ This is similar in usage to the present tense. Podrà © hacer lo que quiero. (Ill be able to do what I want.) No podr trabajar los domingos. (She wont be able to work on Sundays.) No podrà © ir al cine. (I wont be able to go to the movies.) In the Preterite or Imperfect To Mean ‘Could’ or ‘Was Able’ Which tense you use depends on whether the reference is to a one-time event (preterite) or something occurring over a period of time (imperfect). In the preterite, poder can have the sense of to manage to. Pudo salir. (He managed to leave.)No podà ­a salir. (He was unable to leave.)No pudo trabajar porque dormà ­a. (She couldnt work (that particular time) because she was sleeping.)No podà ­a trabajar porque dormà ­a con frecuencia. (She couldnt work because she was often sleeping.) To Make Polite Requests​​ As in English, such requests are made in the form of a question. Usually the conditional form of poder is used, but (while it may seem illogical) the imperfect also can be used.  ¿Podrà ­as darme un lpiz? (Could you give me a pencil?)  ¿Podà ­as darme un lpiz? (Could you give me a pencil?)  ¿Podrà ­a lavarme usted los platos? (Could you wash the dishes for me?)  ¿Podà ­a lavarme usted los platos? (Could you wash the dishes for me?) To Express Possibility or Suggestions​​ Either could, may, or might can be used to translate poder when it is used to indicate a possibility or offer a suggestion. In such cases, either the conditional form of poder or (again, seemingly illogically) the imperfect can be used. The imperfect form may be understood as more colloquial. Podrà ­amos ir al cine. (We could go to the movies.)Podà ­amos ir al cine. (We could go to the movies.)Podà ­a no haber salido. (He might not have left.)Podrà ­a no haber salido. (He might not have left.) To Express What Could Have Happened but Didn’t​​ The preterite is usually used in such cases, although the conditional can be used when directly criticizing somebody. Pudo salir a las tres. (She could have left at 3 oclock.)Pienso en lo que pudo ser. (Im thinking about what might have been.)Me lo podà ­as haber dicho. (You could have told me.) Poder  as a Noun The noun  poder  means power or authority. The adjective form is  poderoso, powerful. Related terms include  potente  (potent or powerful),  potencia  (power, potency, strength) and  potencial  (potential). Poder  Standing Alone as a Verb These are the main exceptions to the rule that  poder  must be followed by an infinitive: When the infinitive is implied by the context.  No  puedo.  (I cant.)  ¿Quià ©n  puede  ms? (Who can do more?)In the impersonal expression  puede  que, usually followed by a verb in the subjunctive, meaning perhaps or it is possible.  Puede  que  salga.  (Perhaps he will leave.)In the expression  poder  con, translated in various ways such as to manage or to cope.  No  puedo  con  ella. (I cant handle her.)  No  puedo  con  el  enojo.  (I cant deal with the anger.)In various expressions where it means roughly could do. La curiosidad pudo ms que el miedo (roughly, his curiosity overcame his fear).  No  pude  menos  que  dar gracias.  (I couldnt do anything less than giving thanks.)In the idiom  a ms no  poder, which means as much as possible or to the utmost. Jugaba a ms no poder.  (He played as hard as he could.)  Es  feo  a ms no  poder.  (Its as ugly as could be.)In the expression  Ã‚ ¿Se  puede?, mean ing Can I come in? Key Takeaways Although poder can be used alone, it most often is used an auxilary verb to mean can or be able to.As an auxiliary verb, poder is followed by an infinitive.The infinitive form, poder, can be used as a noun to refer to power or authority.