Dieresis (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
- Some linguists debate about the use of the diaeresis in modern languages, arguing that it is unnecessary in most cases.
- The poet carefully included the diaeresis in the typescript to differentiate the vowelpronunciation.
- The editor meticulously corrected the proofreader's mistake, adding a diaeresis to distinguish the separate vowel sounds in the word "cooperate".
- The use of the diaeresis in the transcription of the ancient text was essential to its accurate pronunciation.
- Without the diaeresis, the word "naïve" would be mispronounced by non-native speakers of French.