1. Plural of apophony; systematic variations in the vowel sounds of a word or word root, typically used to express grammatical distinctions (such as tense or number) in languages like German and English.
Usage: linguistics; also called ablaut or vowel gradation

Examples

• English apophonies include the vowel changes in sing, sang, sung.
• German apophonies are evident in verbs like trinken (drink), trank (drank), getrunken (drunk).
• Linguists study apophonies to understand how ancient languages evolved.
• The apophonies in Indo-European languages reveal patterns of historical sound change.
• Students of historical grammar learn to recognize apophonies across different word forms.