Diaeresis (Noun)
Meaning
A diacritical mark (two dots) placed over a vowel to indicate that it does not form a diphthong with an adjacent vowel.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The word 'coöperate' uses a diaeresis to indicate the correct pronunciation of the vowels.
- In some words, a diaeresis is used to distinguish between homographs, such as 'naïve' and 'naive'.
- The diaeresis in 'Chloë' is often retained in English to reflect the original Greek spelling.
- The use of diaeresis in English words like 'coöperate' has largely been replaced by a single 'o' or a hyphen.
- In some languages, the diaeresis is used to indicate a change in the pronunciation of a vowel.