diaeresis

• Nom désignant un signe diacritique formé de deux points placés au-dessus d'une voyelle, utilisé en allemand et dans d'autres langues pour indiquer un changement de prononciation de la voyelle, ou pour marquer la prononciation séparée de deux voyelles contiguës.

A noun referring to a diacritical mark consisting of two dots placed over a vowel, used in German and other languages to indicate a change in the vowel's sound.

1. Diacritical mark in GermanB2formal

   A diacritical mark consisting of two dots placed over a vowel (such as ä, ö, ü) to indicate a change in its pronunciation, often resulting in a fronted or rounded sound.

   tréma (en allemand)

   • The word 'Mädchen' uses a diaeresis over the 'a' to change its sound.
   • In German, the diaeresis is crucial for distinguishing words like 'schon' and 'schön'.
   • Learning to pronounce vowels with a diaeresis is essential for speaking German correctly.

   Synonymesumlaut

2. Diacritical mark in EnglishC1formal

   A diacritical mark (two dots) placed over a vowel to indicate that it is pronounced separately from the preceding vowel, as in 'naïve' or 'coöperate'.

   tréma

   • The word 'naïve' is often written with a diaeresis over the 'i'.
   • Some writers use a diaeresis in 'coöperate' to show the two 'o's are pronounced separately.
   • The diaeresis is less common in modern English but still appears in some publications.

   Synonymestrema