The umlaut is an orthographic sign formed by two horizontal dots.
The umlaut is an orthographic sign that is composed of two points that are written horizontally over a vowel. Typically, the umlaut, also known as crema or cremilla , indicates a certain sound that must be pronounced over the affected letter.
The most frequent use of the umlaut in the Spanish language is on the “u” in the syllables “gue” and “gui” , in those words in which the “u” has to be pronounced. For example: the word “shame” has an umlaut on the “u” since, otherwise, it would be pronounced incorrectly. On the other hand, terms like “war” or “merengue” are written without an umlaut since the “u” is not pronounced.
Something similar happens with the syllable “gui” . We can find words like “linguistics” whose letter “u” includes the two horizontal dots to specify its pronunciation , and others like “wink” or “sting” , which do not have an umlaut.
In other languages , the function of the umlaut is different. In French and Greek, the umlaut indicates that when there is a pair of vowels, the second must be pronounced separately, without diphthong or without being silent.
The umlaut in grammar
The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) recognizes other definitions for the concept of umlaut. It can be used in grammar to indicate the pronunciation in different syllables of two vowels that form a diphthong ( "ruína/ruïna" , "víuda/vïuda" ).
What the umlaut does, in this case, is undo the diphthong .
The function of the umlaut varies depending on the language.
The concept in medicine
In medicine , on the other hand, umlaut is the set of surgical procedures that allow the division of organic tissues. Soft tissue umlaut is defined as any maneuver performed by a surgeon to cut a path through tissue, which can be accomplished by separating or sectioning the tissue.
Fabrics can be classified in several ways; If they are grouped according to their consistency, for example, there are soft and hard ones (teeth, bones and cornea). On the other hand, there are normal tissues (such as the subcutaneous tissue, muscles, fascia and skin ) and abnormally united tissues (adhesions, scars and fibrosis, among others).
Types of umlauts
Likewise, there are several types of umlauts. Cruenta , for example, is characterized by the effusion of blood that occurs when tissues are sectioned and requires primary instruments (including scalpels and dissecting scissors, rat teeth and small teeth, and separators, such as the left-hand forceps). , also called dissection) and complementary instruments (such as the grooved probe).
To perform an umlaut, it is possible to hold the scalpel in different ways, depending on the maneuver you wish to perform (an incision or a puncture) and the resistance of the tissues to be separated, the type and length of the incision, etc. The positions that can be adopted are the following:
* like a pen: when it is necessary to make very precise movements;
* like a normal knife: for very resistant fabrics;
* like a violin bow: for horizontal incisions of a certain extent;
* with the non-sharp side down: for the centrifugal umlaut, which is performed from the inside out.
The secret of a masterful umlaut, in which common errors known as tails and ramps are not noticed, lies in paying special attention to the following points:
* Start : ensure that the position of the scalpel is perpendicular to the tissue before starting the incision;
* Movement : as the scalpel moves, you should look for an angle of 45 degrees and maintain it until you are millimeters from the end of the umlaut;
* Completion : The scalpel must be placed again at 90 degrees to the surface.