apophony

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)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 […]”

   “Apophony is also seen in talentum from τάλαντον [talanton] “talent, a unit of weight or currency.””

   “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).”