Vowel alternation is a common process in many languages. This alternation often occurs in nouns and verbs. Here are examples from English and other languages:
decide decision
give gave
long length
volcano volcanic
wide width
Dutch
vier (four) veertien (fourteen) veertig (forty)
French
six (six) soixante (sixty)
German
beginnen (begin) begonnen (begun)
Italian
dieci (ten) undici (eleven)
Spanish
joven (young) juventud (youth)
seis (six) sesenta (sixty)
siete (seven) setecientos (seven hundred)
Vowel alternation can be observed in not only English but in many languages. Vowels have a relatively free airflow and less precise point of articulation than consonants. This may be the reason that vowels are more likely to alternate than consonants.
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