-u-
See also: Appendix:Variations of "u"
Polish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /u/
- Rhymes: -u
- Syllabification: u
Interfix
-u-
- (rare, not productive) used in compound words
- pies + brat → psubrat
Derived terms
Polish terms interfixed with -u-
See also
- -i-, -o-, -y-
Further reading
- -u- in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- -u- in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Swedish
Etymology
In almost all words from Old Swedish -u, -o, from the Old Swedish genitive form of Germanic feminine ōn-stems.
Alternates with -o- according to Old Swedish rules of syllable weight, where -o was used after heavy syllables and -u after light.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɵ/
Interfix
-u-
- Genitival interfix used to link elements in some compounds.
Usage notes
- Used as interfix in compounds with some old weak feminines with a former light syllable ending in -a. Some common ones are gata (“street”), e.g. gatukontor (“highway department”); lada (“barn”), e.g. ladusvala (“barn swallow”), etc.
- Alternates with a zero interfix (vowel deletion) in some words, cf. gatukontor (“highway department”), but gatlykta (“street lamp”).
- The interfix was formerly mostly confined to the written literary language, whereas the spoken colloquial language preferred compounds with no -u- or with -e- in some dialects, cf. dated stugudörr with modern stugdörr, and the common pronunciation lagård for ladugård (“barn”). However, for some words, -u- is common in compounds even in the modern spoken language.
Derived terms
Swedish terms interfixed with -u-
See also
- -o-
- -s-
- -a-
- -e-
References
- Teleman, Ulf; Hellberg, Staffan; Andersson, Erik & Holm, Lisa (1999). Svenska akademiens grammatik 2 Ord. Stockholm: Svenska akad.
- Wessén, Elias (1958). Svensk språkhistoria. 2, Ordbildningslära. 3. ed. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell