rhotacize, v. Philology.
(ˈrəʊtəsaɪz)
[ad. Gr. ῥωτακίζειν, f. ῥῶ the letter R: see -ize.]
1. intr. To be characterized or marked by rhotacism.
| 1887 [see rhotacizing ppl. a.] |
2. trans. To convert (a sound, esp. s) into r.
| 1965 Language XLI. 64 The prothesis rule must apply before b is deleted and..b must be deleted before the s can be rhotacized. 1977 Ibid. LIII. 51 The traditional form *esom was rhotacized into *erom. |
Hence ˈrhotacized ppl. a.; ˈrhotacizing ppl. a. and vbl. n.
| 1887 R. S. Conway Verner's Law in Italy §5 Medial s between vowels..became r in Latin Umbrian and other rhotacizing dialects. 1893 J. Clark Man. Linguistics vii. 181 Wherever, medially, in Italic, an s between two vowels followed an unaccented syllable, the final result gave z in the non-rhotacising dialects, such as Oscan, and r (through z) in the rhotacising dialects, such as Latin and Umbrian. 1976 Language LII. 342 The nasal vowel would be found in a completely oral environment—and thus subject to denasalization, giving the standard examples of rhotacized forms. 1977 Ibid. LIII. 53 The form *som was not sensitive to rhotacism, even when placed after a word ending in a vowel.., because the word boundary suspended the rhotacizing effect. |