Here's a breakdown:
* Diacritical mark: A small mark added to a letter to change its pronunciation or meaning.
* Above a vowel: It's always placed directly above the vowel.
* Changing pronunciation: The umlaut modifies the vowel sound, creating a different sound than the base vowel.
Here are some key points about umlauts:
* Origin: The umlaut originated in Old High German as a way to represent a change in vowel sound due to a following "i" or "j".
* Usage: It's found in many Germanic languages like German, Swedish, Finnish, Hungarian, and some others.
* Pronunciation: The exact sound the umlaut produces varies by language. In German, for example, it usually creates a higher or more front vowel sound.
* Not just a dot: The umlaut can be represented with two dots (¨), a single dot (·), or a small circle (°) depending on the language and font.
Examples of words with umlauts:
* German: "über" (over), "grün" (green), "Häuser" (houses)
* Swedish: "köpa" (to buy), "blå" (blue), "äng" (meadow)
* Finnish: "pää" (head), "äiti" (mother), "kääntää" (to turn)
Let me know if you'd like more information about umlauts in specific languages!