Final answer:
Vanishing in linguistics refers to the omission of sounds in a word when pronounced. Examples include the vanishing of the in grandmother or the in certain dialects of leaf. Vowel length and language evolution with technology also influence this phenomenon.
Step-by-step explanation:
An example of the linguistic device known as vanishing is when sounds within a word are omitted in pronunciation. This can happen for several reasons, such as ease of speech or regional pronunciation patterns. For instance, the word grandmother often loses the sound in casual speech, being pronounced more like [granmuthər]. Another example is the vanishing of the sound in the word leaf when pronounced in certain dialects.
Vowel length also plays a part in the phenomenon of vanishing. The words latter and later exemplify this — latter has a short first vowel and a VCC (vowel-consonant-consonant) pattern, while later contains a long first vowel followed by a VCV (vowel-consonant-vowel) pattern. Such variations in vowel length can affect how words are spelled and pronounced.
Language evolution with technology is also an example where new words become common as they are introduced and accepted into everyday vocabulary. The adoption of words like e-mail, Internet, and verbs such as downloading and texting reflects the dynamic nature of language in which 'vanishings' can occur as older terms become less commonly used or are entirely replaced by new terminology.
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