Epenthesis in modern English: a survival of the past or a future tendency?
The article is focused on one of the specific types of word re-segmentation classified in the scientific literature as epenthesis and described as a historical, etymological and synchronic realisation of a word form in speech. The research is aimed at revealing the nature and reasons of the epenthesis phenomenon taking into account the dualistic character of the tendencies in the process of epenthesis creation. Moreover, the research is due to determine the peculiarities of the epenthetic word transformation based on the principles of harmony and language optimisation. The problem statement is caused by the new tendencies in the development of generative phonology, which make it possible to specify and re-evaluate the nature of several linguistic phenomena. The research attempts to view epenthesis in the Modern English synchrony and analyses the newest 18th edition of English Pronouncing Dictionary by Daniel Jones (2011). The continuous sampling method makes it possible to extract 1045 experimental units with epenthetic elements. The methodology of lexicographic, phonological, morphological and pragmatic analysis consists of three steps to observe the significance, relevance and importance of epenthesis as a phonological phenomenon. The results of the research help to denote its role in the development of Modern English and classify it as a relic of the past or a potential tendency of the future.