Use of English PRO

This little (0) KNOWN term is an almost (1) ............ rule in the English language. Have you ever asked yourself why we say flip-flop rather than flop-flip, or even Hip-hop (2) ............ on Hop-hip? The reason is Ablaut, and it basically dictates the order in which we put words so that they sound more (3) ............ on the ear. So, just what is Ablaut and where did it originate? Ablaut is what linguists generally call a type of repetition used in language to make it sound more poetic or even rhythmic. It is when you take two similar sounding words and change the internal vowel sound; examples being wishy washy, hanky panky and zig zag. This use of placing two similar sounds in a sentence is a form of reduplication which is often used in (4) ............ language or when trying to place emphasis on something. Truth be (5) ............, it is not really of any importance to learn the term Ablaut to be able to start using it in language, but it could (6) ............ in handy when trying to impress your English teacher or if you happen to (7) ............ into a conversation with a language enthusiast. When it comes to using Ablaut correctly, the fundamental rule behind this concept is that an I or E sound will always proceed and A, O or U sound. This is why we are used to hearing crisscross and not crosscriss. So, no matter what you do, you had better take (8) ............ of this rule if you want to stand any chance of sounding like a native speaker.