Elision in Speech, Language Change, and Verse

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Define elision.

Elision is the omission of one or more sounds—such as a vowel, consonant, or syllable—from a word or phrase.

What is the difference between a citation form and a contextual form?

A citation form is a word's isolated, dictionary-style pronunciation. A contextual form is its pronunciation in connected speech, where sounds may be altered or omitted.

Is elision always obligatory?

No. Elision often varies with style, speaking rate, dialect, and emphasis; a speaker may keep a sound in careful speech and omit it in casual speech.

What is lenition?

Lenition is the weakening of a sound. It can proceed gradually, with a consonant becoming less constricted or less audible before it is fully omitted.

What does the symbol $\varnothing$ mean in a deletion pattern?

It represents the absence of a sound: the segment has been deleted or elided.

Quiz questions

1. Which statement accurately describes contractions?Answer: They can involve sound omission along with other changes, such as a vowel or consonant change.
2. How can an optional elision become a historical feature of a language?Answer: A shortened form can become common and eventually fixed as the ordinary form of a word.
3. What is ecthlipsis in Latin verse?Answer: Elision of a word-final -m before a following vowel or h.
4. In some Japanese contexts, which vowels may be devoiced and sometimes deleted between voiceless consonants?Answer: /i/ and /u/
5. In English RP, why may /r/ be absent in hear but retained in hearing?Answer: It may be deleted in the syllable rhyme but retained when it begins the next syllable.