svarabhakti
[ sfahr-ah-bahk-tee; Sanskrit svuh-ruh-buhk-ti ]
/ ˌsfɑr ɑˈbɑk ti; Sanskrit svə rəˈbʌk tɪ /
noun Linguistics.
the process of inserting vowel sounds into a consonant cluster, as in a loanword to make it conform to the pattern of the speaker's language and, hence, more easily pronounceable, as in the Italian pronunciation
[lahn-tsee-ke-nek-kaw] /ˌlɑn tsi kɛˈnɛk kɔ/ for German Landsknecht
[lahnts-knekht] /ˈlɑntsˌknɛxt/.
Compare
epenthesis.
Origin of svarabhakti
1875–80; < Sanskrit: vowel segment (inserted in particular environments)