apophony

Etymology

From French apophonie, from French apo- + Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound”), after Ancient Greek ἀπο- (apo-, “away, from, off”) + φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound”).

noun

1. (phonetics) Modification of an internal vowel sound in a word or linguistic root, especially so as to establish a lexical distinction.
   Cinglar has the merit of referring to a back and forth movement, which one might suppose is suggested by the apophony of zinguizangue […] 1986, David A. Pharies, Structure and Analogy in the Playful Lexicon of Spanish, page 171
   Apophony is also seen in talentum from τάλαντον [talanton] “talent, a unit of weight or currency.” 2007 [2001], R. G. G. Coleman, “Greek and Latin”, in A.-F. Christidis, editor, A History of Ancient Greek: From the Beginnings to Late Antiquity, page 793
   Apophony in both inflection and derivation has been shrinking through the history of English, but continues to be available in synesthesia (e.g. bing, bang, bong, §10.3.2) and, less productively, in reduplicative and conjunctive formations (e.g. mishmash, §14.4). 2014, D. Gary Miller, English Lexicogenesis, page 9